MNSR HNTR
by Peroth
Summary: Remnant as we know it has changed; humans and Grimm are joined by ferocious, towering monsters, and the world's environment has been reshaped to suit its new rulers. However, humanity is not without hope, nor purpose. Team RWBY seeks to learn more about the monsters and how they can benefit their people, while also seeking fun, profit, and answers to the monster's mysteries.
1. Chapter 1

" _They went this way!"_

The voice spurred the eight masked figures faster, crashing through low-hanging shrubbery and branches without care; hiding their trail be damned, escape was priority.

What few advantages the Faunus' night-vision afforded the fleeing group was lost in their mad dash for escape, barely making out the shapes of the towering, wide trunks they were passing between. The broken full moon sat high above, casting everything in an uneven mixture of eerie silver glow, and pitch black shadow.

The fleeing party was chased by dozens of armed humans, most wielding simplistic spears or short, basic swords aside from their tough hide armor, but the one leading the pack was a brickhouse of a man, the worn, battle-tested sword laying across his back easily as large as he was. Up above, a woman jumped from vine to vine, unslinging her bow in mid-air before landing on a branch to take careful aim.

One of the fleeing Faunus fell to the dirt with a shout of surprise as the bark of a nearby tree exploded into sawdust and splinters as an arrow–more like an arm-length steel lance–broke straight through the wood to imbed in the ground ahead of him, causing an eruption of soft forest soil and leaving a crater, like a freshly planted flagpole. One of the men behind him grabbed his shoulder, wasting a step to drag his fallen companion to his feet, and the chase continued.

The howling whistle of flying hunter arrows punctuated the chase, none landing a decisive mark. The giant of a man below called up to the archer with a quick shout, and the woman descended the branches swiftly, taking the last thirty feet in a fall she slowed on a thick vine. The girl looked up to the taller man, now joined by a much shorter, more limber man, who was peering through the darkness.

"We've confirmed fifteen dead at the gates, and the scouts are reporting movement in the north-west. The Grimm are probably stirring from the bloodshed and their panic." He told her, the shorter man nodding.

"Shit, and we have the guard after the escapees." The woman said in annoyed understanding. "How likely are the Grimm to draw any monsters?"

The scout spoke up, his lips drawn tightly, "high; a large number of Barnos have taken to roost in the western grove, and we're in the middle of Vespoid season. Being in Beowolf country, unless they have some help, we're likely to to see a long, drawn out fight between the two sides, and considering those dog-eared bastards sabotaged the gate, we've got no defenses if it spills into town."

There was a brief moment of silent contemplation, the three shuffling in place before the two men stared at their female companion.

"Fine, you two fools and the guards can handle the rest." The archer all but growled with a flare of her nostrils, sheathing her bow as she began pulling herself up a vine, stopping only to glance down at her companions. "I'll be back in town in ten minutes; I'll try and direct the fighting out towards the forest. Crush a few Grimm for me, eh?"

The bigger hunter smirked triumphantly, bouncing the immense metal blade on his back with a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't bungle into a Barnos again, I don't wanna have to pull you out of the muck a second time."

The woman shot him a sneer, then disappeared up into the trees, her slower companions jogging after their quarry beneath her.

* * *

Though the sound of their pursuers still reached their ears, the eight Faunus hunkered beneath the roots of a tree that could have sheltered three times their number. The gnawed roots, upturned dirt, and old leaves lining the floor made it obvious that the tree often served as shelter for a larger beast, but they were alone for now.

Seven of the animal eared (or tailed, or furred, or clawed) figures buckled, leaning against whatever they could–be it the roots, each other, or their own knees–each panting and sweating. One removed the yellowed Gajau skull he wore over his face to cool himself, another lifting his wooden owl mask above his eyes to stare at the back of their leader. In a black cloak, only his eyes covered by carefully whittled bone, Adam peered out into the darkness with his arms crossed, his posture tense, his expression neutral, his ears perked for any sound.

The owl masked man sucked in a cooling breath, and spoke in a heated whisper, "Adam, what the _hell_ happened?" He asked in a desperate, seeking tone.

"We've been planning this for months! How?!" Another man asked nobody in particular, straining to not bury his claws into his palms in rage and woe.

"There's a traitor, there _has_ to be, how else—" The chatter fell silent as Adam held an arm out, his fingers curled into a fist. He wheeled around and shattered a root in a single punch, the flash of red around his arm being the only indicator that his Aura had taken damage, Adam himself did not flinch from the pain. The red light of his soul–his shield, his strength–faded, some of the Faunus looking enviously at it; it took lots of training, both physically and spiritually, to draw upon one's Aura.

"What happened is that we lost long before night fell." He answered, reaching into his cloak to toss aside several large, wooden spheres with small metal bolts driven into the sides, their unlit fuzes drooping pathetically. "They might have found the stashes of explosives and waited for the smell of gunpowder, or one of their scouts saw us moving in." He pulled out a large paper map, and with a grunt of anger, ripped it to shreds and let it float to the ground like confetti. "Which would mean that the patrol schedules we got were useless, our routes in and out less safe than we thought. Somebody didn't do their job, and because of that, we lost sixteen brothers and sisters."

"So what do we do?" A young woman wearing a helmet in the shape of a snarling cat-beast asked, sitting on a root with her entire body in a slump.

"They're out there, searching for us." Adam answered in a low voice, appraising the numerous Faunus before him in their light leather armor, their varying masks, their small, one-handed weapons, all the equipment they had brought to sabotage the foundations of the human settlement… now, wasted. "Recouping is pointless, we don't have enough hands. They're going to be on guard, and probably have more scouts searching the forests for a long time after tonight. We've _lost."_

The finality of the word made the other seven slump and shrink down, holding their heads, their arms, or their stomachs, shivering at the complete destruction of their morale, and Adam let loose a low, unsatisfied sigh.

"We'll return home and report to Sienna what happened; we're unlikely to abandon moving against this area yet. This location is too important to give up. All that anger and hatred you feel right now? Save it." He clenched a fist in front of his chest, balling it so tightly that his Aura flashed a minor warning, "it will drive you to take your revenge the next time we come here. And when we do, we'll take _all_ of them, more than enough to satisfy our fallen brothers and sisters. In the meantime, the eight of us shall prepare…" His head turned softly, staring past the other Faunus with idle curiosity, "the nine of us, I should say."

The other Faunus watched as another black leather-wearing Faunus stumbled into their hiding place, panting heavily. The leather encasing her left leg had been violently torn open, and fresh blood stained her pale skin. Her mask long lost, the yellow-eyed girl stared at her companions with a pale expression. "S-sorry…"

"Blake!" The various Faunus hopped to their feet to run to her, two leaning down to check her leg as the rest did what they could to help prop her up. "Are you okay? What happened?!" One asked.

"J-Jagras…" She panted, the side of her knee filled with teeth marks, the bone beneath softer, and crunching quietly when she moved it even a little. "Stepped on one while trying to follow, musta found its nest. Dug right into me, but I got away, think the humans stumbled over it too…" She looked to Adam, trying to see his eyes through his mask, all while giving a small, but hopeful smile. "I can make it."

Adam looked over the eight survivors of their failed raid, and nodded slowly. "Then let's move; the longer we take, the more ground they'll cover."

"Shouldn't we treat her wound, Adam? It'll get infected—"

"No time." Adam interrupted harshly, drawing a worried look from Blake. "They'll probably find us soon. We'll treat her as soon as we're in the clear, but for now, we go." He turned on his heel to head out, the other Faunus watching his back, unsure.

With that, the nine Faunus set out from underneath the tree, heading south. Individually, each one of them was swift, well-suited to darting between tree trunks and branches, climbing cliff sides, and crawling through the mud when necessary, but they were forced to move slower.

Two men held onto Blake's arms as they loped along, the rest moving ahead, pausing to open their ears and watch their straggling wounded with worry. In the distant night, the shouts of the humans could be heard, and the further they went, the closer the shouting was.

However, their pace partially picked up as they began to hear distant howling.

Blake hid her pain with deep breaths, and focused on the backs ahead of her. A single, stray Jagras had been a small issue, but a whole pack of Beowolves barreling in from the forest? Even if the Grimm drew out monsters looking to soak in the mists of their defeat, Beowolves could be numerous and far too voracious. Nine frightened, depressed, and wounded escapees in the forest at night was an appealing target for even the monsters, the Grimm wouldn't even bother with the formality of a proper ambush before they were run over.

Her leg burned as she tried to keep up the pace, but she found herself slipping, leaning more heavily on her burdened companions, and all the while they heard the humans, the Grimm, and the monsters growing louder as combat sprung out across the forest.

They weren't safe, they were as far from safe as they possibly could have _been,_ but Blake intended to _survive._ The humans may have won the night, but the future belonged to the Faunus, just as Sienna had always said. They would return, and Blake would be with them to take the town, its supplies, and its survivors.

It was the _humans'_ fault; the Grimm, the monsters, forcing the Faunus to live out in the midst of danger, they would pay, and their outpost would fall under Sienna's domain! The thought numbed her leg some, knowing she could exact justice for her fallen comrades, but it was cut short when their band stopped.

Ahead of them was a man devoid of any animal characteristics, holding a two-handed axe. He stared at the nine, the nine stared at him, and he raised his head to shout, "they're here! _I found them!"_ His scream echoed into the night.

Adam drew his sword, a three-foot katana that was tempered with monster-salvaged metals to cut clean through metal and rock alike, but his vengeance would have to wait; not a second after the man announced his find he was tackled to the ground by eight feet of pitch-black wolf, its bony white claws digging into the screaming man's torso to rip him to red ribbons, his screams finally cut short by a quick, violent bite to his neck.

The wolf Grimm, still baring the meat of the man's throat between its teeth, turned to face the nine Faunus. It loped a step forward on ape-like arms, its upper-torso uncannily human, yet the illusion dissipated with the wolflike head and digitigrade legs. Beowolves were _big_ Grimm, easily able to haul around and tear an Auraless person apart, and this one in particular seemed _thrilled_ to have more morsels to rip into. The beast spat out its prize and lifted its head to howl, its thunderous announcement cut short as steel sliced its head clean off, causing the Grimm to evaporate into a dark mist, but the damage was done; twice over they were exposed, and the nine knew it.

"What do we _do?!"_ One of the Faunus pleaded, staring at Adam's back as he stood over the corpse of the felled human, the black mist around him abating with the rise of the wind.

Swiftly, Adam turned back on the group, marching through them with a look of grim promise. "For the good of the whole, sacrifices must be made. We'll make it back alive." He knelt before Blake, and Blake watched quietly as he inspected her leg. "You won't be moving quickly on that leg."

"I'm sorry." Blake apologized gently. Adam stood, his shoulder against her belly to bend her forward as if to carry her. The burden of carrying Blake back would be a hefty tole; even if she was a young woman, even if he was their strongest warrior, it would not be a quick nor easy journey. Blake felt a feeling of relief, even embarrassment at what he was about to do, but both feelings quickly ended in pain.

Blake's knee shattered inwards from the hilt of Adam's sword, her entire world turning white as he compounded onto her already softened knee. He stood, using the motion to throw Blake onto her back as the rest of the Faunus stepped back, gasping, staring, watching Blake cry and writhe on the ground, unable to bend forward enough to grab her broken knee from the pain.

"Adam!" One of them failed to admonish any further, his surprise cut short by a dark look.

"S-Sienna, she'll…!" Another tried to start, but stopped as Adam grasped her by the collar, his glare no less intimidating with two masks separating them.

"Sienna will understand that Blake gave her life to help us. She knows that sacrifices must be made for the good of the whole; we will honor Blake volunteering to be left behind to let us escape, _won't we?"_ He asked, his voice raising in threat as the other seven stared in quiet, horrified understanding at what he was implying.

If any of them wanted to stand up for Blake, to challenge Adam, or to waste time arguing, it was cut short when the howling started up again. The Beowolves were all around them, well within a mile of their position, their haunting cry carrying through the night to alert each other to their prey. Adam sheathed his blade, turning away to run, and the rest of the Faunus stared after him.

Most of them took off immediately, only a few stayed back to look at Blake as she stared up at them with quivering eyes, her flesh unnaturally pale. One of them made a move towards her, paused, then stepped back with a jerky turn to charge after Adam. The rest, despite their lingering looks, followed suit, leaving Blake alone.

They were using her as bait. Blake realized that in an instant, but it was difficult to hold onto that thought and feel a grudge as a simple turn onto her side made her knee burn like a blade hot from the forge had plunged into it. She grit her teeth, trying to crawl after them, but they were long gone by the time she lifted her head to try and find them.

The Grimm were around her, the humans were coming after her, her knee wouldn't stop hurting…

Tears in her eyes from the pain, Blake dug her fingers into the bark of a nearby tree, hauling herself up on one leg, the other streaked with hot, wet red. The world around her spun, her stomach clenched violently as the constant pain made her want to throw up, but she forced herself to hop forward on one foot.

She could barely pick out the roots and shrubbery around her, but miraculously, she got caught on none of them as she slowly forced herself forward. She could hear the trampling around her as Beowolves sought to surround her, but she forced her back against a tree as she heard a shout.

In an instant, one of the Beowolves sprung from the brush to snap at her terrified face, but an arrow struck its temple, killing it immediately. Blake was dimly aware in her fright that people were rushing from around her, fighting the Beowolves. There weren't too many on either side, but the chaos would surely attract more, and both of them wanted her _dead._

If she laid her ears flat, she could have been mistaken for a human, especially since she'd lost her mask scuffling with the Jagras, but she didn't think that would hold for very long. She stood stock still, jaw clenched, eyes squeezed shut, hot tears spilling down her cheeks; why had they left her to _this?_ All this pain and horror happening all at once around her, she could only barely hold her breath to try and numb her body and emotions as two Beowolves carried and pinned one of the human guards to a tree to dig into his flesh.

She hopped to a different tree during their distraction, pressing against the bark as man killed Grimm, and Grimm killed man. She felt her boot splash hot ichor as she used the vines to pull herself along, and she had to shakily unsheath her short sword to hack into the head of a Beowolf caught in the hanging tangle separating them. Her blade snapped against its plate bones, but without its lower jaw to catch her, she managed to stumble her way past it. Its claws desperately tried to rake her, and she hid a scream as she felt its tongue against the back of her neck, but she was out of its reach and desperately racing away from the battle.

She didn't know where she was going, she didn't know how she would even _survive._ A human man stopped in front of her, his eyes meeting hers, his mace covered in flecks of shattered bone, and Blake held a hand over her mouth in silent fear that mace would bury itself into her skull. The man seemed to consider saying something before he pitched forward and fell on his stomach, revealing his back had been shredded into little more than useless meat, the sight making Blake's stomach churn as she stared at the interlinking vertebrae of his spine.

She tried to kneel down to grab his mace, but her broken knee thumped the ground and sent her onto her back silently sobbing, her eyes locked onto the still corpse nearby. If those damned humans had remained fat and lazy in their conquest... why did they constantly have to push onto Sienna's territory? Why couldn't they just leave the Faunus alone?! This stupid man deserved it, for his and all of his kind's sins!

Blake managed to drag herself up by grasping ahold of a vine, balancing on one leg again as her mind fell forwards and back, but Blake's firm grasp and stiff leg kept her from falling with it. She could curse the humans all she wanted if she survived this, but she had to _keep moving._

Blake swore she felt the hot breath of the Grimm with every step, but it very well could have just been her overheated body. Her leg burned so badly that she could barely see through the water in her eyes, but some impulse in her told her to survive, to make it through, to somehow live another day.

The treeline ended, and she collapsed on gray stone. In the moonlight, she found herself at the edge of a ravine, and she stared into the glinting reflection of rushing water below. She'd met her end, and it was neither glamorous nor honorable. It was painful, it was scary, her leg hurt worse than it ever had before, and she knew full well that, barring a miracle, the next few seconds were all she had left.

She sucked in deep breaths and rolled onto her back as she watched red eyes emerging from the densely packed trees, boney black wolves loping towards her, flashing long, slender canines and lashing pink tongues. One carried the armless torso of one of the settlement guards in its teeth, dropping it in anticipation; the Grimm had no need for meat, just fear and death, and Blake was at the precipice of both extremes.

The pack of wolves trundled closer and closer, having all the time in the world to watch this cat-eared girl panic and try to push herself closer to the edge of the cliff, the pebbles she dislodged clicking ominously against the rock wall on the way down.

Blake grit her teeth, wanting it to end quickly, pleading for life, pleading for death, knowing for certain one was coming, but the little voice in the back of her mind screaming for survival still persisted. Did she risk jumping into the depths below? It would have been better than dying in the jaws of the Grimm…

… If she'd taken Adam's advice and had unlocked her Aura before coming along, she wouldn't be here, but she was so damn stubborn, so desperate to prove herself…

She held her arms in front of her face as she felt rancid breath against her skin, then felt the entire world shake as a thunderous _scream_ shook the night. The Beowolves stumbled back, and Blake stared up in quiet, horrified awe as a second scream pierced through the chaotic howling, demanding _silence._

The sound of unfurling leather came from below, and from the dark walls of the ravine, a massive shape flew upwards. The beast was larger than ten of the Beowolves put together, and the wind it stirred with the impatient flaps of its wings sent the Grimm stumbling back. The enormous wyvern, with its green scales and condor-like talons bared towards the black beasts, sucked in a deep breath, and fire erupted from its throat to roast the crying Grimm.

Blake gasped, whimpering to herself as it swooped over her, spitting fire, crushing with claws, battering with its tail, the ground shaking beneath her as another furious scream made her ears _ring._ The draconic monster bit a Grimm in two, the black mist sucked into its body rather than dispersing in the air, and the Rathian barreled into the horde. The Grimm, as they often did, yipped and whined, perplexed that something other than a human would come at them with such unmatched ferocity. Their confused whining was completely drowned out by the wyvern's bellowing roars; each slaughtered wolf seemed to only increase it's rage, not calm it. None of the shadowy beasts would survive her wrath unless they opted to scatter and flee.

Be it divine miracle or the cruel prank of the gods, Blake knew she wouldn't be getting a third chance; a _Rathian_ here? She managed to just _crawl_ herself into its territory?! She dragged herself towards the edge of the cliff, biting her lip from the pain as she slowly, carefully lowered herself. She couldn't use one of her legs, and her fingers already hurt, but she had no other choice. She had to fight through the pain to keep her grip as she slid down hand by hand, listening to the combat above as a motivator to keep _moving._

Blake's feet dangled over a sudden drop, no rock nor wall for her to find purchase on, and a quick glance downwards showed she'd found herself at the mouth of a cave in the ravine wall. She gasped heavily in exhaustion, her panicked mind unable to find a way around the problem, until the Rathian above _roared,_ the cliff shook, and Blake's fingers slipped.

It was 'luck' that she managed to not land on her mangled leg, instead finding herself on her back at the edge of the cave, woozy beyond belief, everything hurting at once. She could barely remember to survive, barely move, barely push herself up enough to stare inside the cave, and in the pale light, catch sight of a mound of straw, decayed greenery, and bones.

Four eggs the size of her torso sat in the nest, resting against one another on top of red-flowered shrubbery and charcoal-black rocks, which looked freshly roasted. This was where the Rathian had come from, wasn't it? This little cave, with the eggs… The wyvern wasn't hunting for a late night meal, she was guarding her nest from a sudden bout of intruders.

The mother was trying to protect her family. Even if she vastly overwhelmed her enemy in size and power, she fought with all her fury to guard her nest. They weren't hatched, had no potential beyond hopes and dreams, the Rathian could have fled, leaving her eggs behind as bait to save herself…

Blake swallowed bitterly, staring at the soon-to-be monsters waiting to hatch, recalling that she was nothing more than a _sacrifice_ to protect the companions that had abandoned her. If she was an _egg_ she would have been protected by an enormous, flying, murderous monstrosity, but no, she was _bait._ Bait for her so-called family, bait to be beaten and interrogated, or ruthlessly eaten by the nightmares that stalked human misery.

She collapsed onto her back, her entire body feeling as if it had been dragged through hell, and she was only dimly aware that the sounds of combat above had stopped.

Had the Beowolves been killed? Blake blinked, her vision blurry, her hearing no better, but she recognized silence. She risked an instance of movement, making a fist with one hand, and then she heard the sweeping sound of large wings stirring the air. She craned her head around to catch sight of the Rathian staring at her from outside its nest, its unreadable, reptilian eyes focused on her coldly.

There was an intruder in its nest, and Blake was dimly aware that was her. Her heart was pounding in her ears as the beast stared at her in angered silence; teeth that could pierce steel snarling at her, talons that could crack bone clicked closer, hot breath that could roast her alive lit the cave above her, and Blake felt for, perhaps, the hundredth time that she was not meant to _survive._

She edged herself closer to the cliff, hoping she could get there before the Rathian took further offense, but she was far too late for that. The great wyvern let out a snarl, and Blake screamed and tried covering her face again as one of its taloned feet lashed out, and swept Blake back and out of its cave like it was swiping away a bug, not even hungry enough to save her for later.

Amidst rocky debris, the rush of cold, night air, and full-bodied pain, Blake found herself wondering ' _what next?'_ Then her back hit the racing current coursing through the ravine, the shock shutting her off, and she was swept away, unconscious.

* * *

"We can't thank you enough, Scout Master, this wouldn't have been possible without you." The broad-shouldered, black haired man spoke with a hint of pride, and more than a smidgen of awe as he looked up at the legendary woman that he walked through the growing encampment with.

"Poppycock, despite our contributions, it was yours and your team's hard work that put this camp on the map. I'll accept no undue praise, Tukson," explained the Scout Master, her blonde hair kept in a tight knot behind her head, all but towering over the not-at-all-short man by her side. Scout Master Glynda Goodwitch glanced around the small, comfortable little cave Forward Point Tukson had been built inside of.

Tents of varying sizes with varying purposes were built in the compact corners of the small crack-in-the-wall they had discovered, a large fire roasting an enormous pot of boiling white broth and chunks of food within, the smoke and steam rising through a long, thin break in the ceiling into the sky above. The steep cliff and narrow passageways to reach the camp would be widened with time, but for now, an intricate pulley system and a large boulder would serve as a delivery system and gatekeeper to the campsite. It would be the perfect shelter and hiding place from hungry monsters and ravenous Grimm, and an excellent stake in territory for the people of New Vale.

"It wouldn't have been nearly as easy if you and your apprentices hadn't taken down that Nargacuga; it took three of us and our rations for the month during our first expedition—"

"And it won't be bothering you anymore, though the Grimm may be more prevalent without it patrolling the area." Glynda stated with a firm nod, leading the way towards a crack in the deep orange rock wall, sidling through it with Tukson behind her, the latter grumbling about getting to work with a pickaxe the moment he could. They stepped out onto a plateau cast in a ruddy orange, overlooking a sea of jungle green, a stiff breeze filling the air with rustling branches and loose leaves. The early morning sun was peeking over the horizon, their celestial light waking up to the hard work of field researchers and scouts. A tent was set along the steep cliffside the plateau was backed up against, and a team of men in various hide armors and cloth robes, wielding knives and chisels to work at the enormous carcass of a batlike quadruped. Glynda noted with idle satisfaction that a goodly amount of its hide and bones were being loaded onto the back of the cart they'd be taking back, and she was more pleased that the beast's enormous skull was still preserved _despite_ Xiao Long's attempts to brain damage it.

Tukson chuckled by her side, watching his workers dismantle the monstrosity piece by piece. They didn't have the equipment they had back at Beacon, so it had taken all afternoon and night in order to cut it up this much, but there was plenty of material to take back for the researchers and smiths to work with.

" _Auntie Glyndaaaaa!"_ An excited, high-pitched squee caused the various workers to pause and crane their heads, while Glynda's idle smile turned into an exhausted scowl as a teenage girl with a red and black bob cut raced up to the huntress with her arms outstretched in offering. "Auntie Glynda! _Auntie Glynda!"_ Ruby squeaked as she hopped in front of her mentor, Glynda's gaze rising and falling to catch the girl's silver eyes. She was in her hunting outfit, Aptonoth-leather hide covering her upper-torso and legs, with simple cloth underclothing to prevent chafing. Though her arms were bare, a pair of small metal pauldrons adorned her shoulders, as well as thick gloves to protect her palms. Her boots were huge and heavy, giving her a sure-footedness she needed to race across any terrain fearlessly, and every hem of her leather armor was decorated with tufts of silver-blue fur that could have only have come from her current monstrous crush. " _Look-what-I-got-from-the-Nargie-thing-six-fangs-for-my—"_

 _Smack!_

The girl held her head, whimpering as her excitement turned to blunt pain, and Glynda let loose a withering growl that made the girl freeze up. " _Rose,_ you will address me by my formal name while we are on a mission." Glynda spoke icily, and the small girl shrank smaller in shame as the blonde Scout Master snapped. "Disrespecting your superiors is a quick and easy way to find yourself given _dung collecting_ duties, and considering how much you complain about your _nose—"_

"Auntie Glynda! _Auntie Glynda!"_ Came another excited, girly voice. Tukson stepped back and hid a snicker between pursed lips as a shockingly pretty girl bound up to the facepalming huntress, her hair more gold than blonde, and loosened to sway in the breeze as she bound up to their leader. Yang was dressed in similar armor to her sister, neither having gone through a personal hunt to find materials for better gear, but Yang wore considerably less. Her stomach, shins, calves, and one shoulder was exposed to the world, drawing considerable interest from some of the men in the camp. Her brazen appearance was intermixed with gold and red feathers, the prized plumage plucked from the blonde girl's beast of interest. The feathers sprouted from a comfortable headdress she wore, as well as from the belt of her short leather chaps to accentuate her showmanship. "I took a look at that Nargalicious' femur and it's _just_ the right length for me to—" Ruby wisely stepped away from her older sister, right before another ' _smack!'_ filled the air.

The workers tried their best to ignore the loud dressing down happening behind them, but many of them couldn't help but watch the spectacle in amusement at the sheer contrast between what they'd seen of the three girls the day before, and what they were bearing witness to now.

Both Ruby and Yang rubbing welts on their head, Glynda wrapped up her shouting, "— _final warning before I report to the Hunt Master about your insubordination!"_ She huffed, fists on her hips and partially bent forward to meet their eyes.

"Dad doesn't care when we call _him_ dad…" Ruby mumbled, only to zip her lip when Glynda's cold stare turned on her.

"He _will_ once you two are both given independent missions of importance; now save your babbling for the road, breakfast is ready inside the main den. I want us at ground level and on the way home before the sky turns blue, am I understood?" Their tyrant of a mentor demanded harshly, and both girls bobbed their heads in fearful rapidity before zipping past her to squeeze into the den.

With the girls gone, and Glynda shaking off her role as their authority figure, she turned to Tukson with a small, sharp nod, gesturing to the wagon they'd be taking on the road. "I trust you and your men will have us stocked up by the time we've finished eating. Ozpin and Xiao Long both have high hopes for this encampment; we look forward to your findings."

"And we here at Camp Tukson look forward to serving Beacon, _Auntie."_ Tukson smiled, a mistake that filled the morning with yelling once more.

* * *

The wagon rumbled as its wheels crunched through the thin, muddy top-layer of the narrow pathway between endlessly tall trees, and bowing shrubbery that stood taller than Glynda. The wooden vehicle was partially weighed down by several jute sacks filled with preserved meat and vegetables, their openings tightly squeezed by knotted drawstrings to prevent hungry hands from sneaking into them early. In addition, a pair of long, slender wooden crates, treated with tar to remain waterproofed, sat at the very back of the wagon, each containing rolled up maps, scrolls of new territorial information, and books that either needed completion, or had been completed by the trip. Tied down with resilient ropes and metal hooks were piles of bones wrapped in the hide of the slain Nargacuga, but most precious of all was a single, preserved black Dust gem pulled from the batlike beast that sat buried in one of the crates.

It burdened a single, small, slowly plodding Aptonoth; the gray skinned lizard beast, whose club-like tail had been docked to not interfere with the wagon's rolling. At the base of its skull was a short bony crest with a large metal ring punctured through it and a metal tag engraved with ' _C72'._ It was only slightly taller than Glynda at the top of its back, but easily ten times the Scout Master's weight. A pair of blinders kept its sideways-facing eyes from spotting all the lush, rich vegetation within mouth's reach of the beast, and leather straps were wrapped around its neck; sturdy enough to survive the constant pull, but the buckles could easily be snapped if something surprised the Apty into suddenly bolting, ensuring their supplies didn't go with it.

Glynda walked alongside the Aptonoth, one hand on its leathery neck as she strode with calm purpose, her eyes and ears open, but not straining for anything in particular. She was well protected in a mixture of leather and metal, not exactly as heavy or covered as the paladins guarding their home, but quite possibly better protected thanks to the large, verdant green scales and matching leather hide imbedded in the more plain materials. The hunter's long sword resting on her back was also abundantly green, but utilizing spines, bones, claws, and fangs melded into the metal to create an blade hard enough and sharp enough to take down some of the most powerful predators in Remnant. Along with her Aura, she could have survived a rain of cannonballs, then cut clean through the cannons in a single stroke; every piece of her equipment had been self-earned, and her reputation as a wilderness survivor was equally hard won.

She quickly looked to her right as Ruby shot by her from the cart's flank, and watched as the young lady climbed a tree by the edge of the road. The girl used a large, sharp hunting knife to carefully trim the stems of a few blue mushrooms growing in the tree, and caught up with the cart a minute later with her haul of reagents.

" _One_ order of blue mushrooms!" Ruby smiled cheekily over at her sister, who walked along the left side of the cart with her arms behind her head, a click of the older girl's tongue expressing her annoyance.

"Just _one_ order? C'mon Rubes." Yang chided with a playful grin. The older girl extended her left arm, showing off her wrist-mounted slinger, loaded with a grape-sized rock. With a squeeze of her left hand, the slinger let out a sharp ' _twang!',_ and the stone flew into the trees above. A second later, a yellow hive splattered against the ground, drawing a groan from Glynda as the younger blonde gleefully began scraping up the viscous pile to collect in a large, wooden tube at her side, the angry bees inside landing foolishly on her red hot Aura and disappearing in pathetic puffs of smoke.

Ruby gave her sister a bemused sniff as the older girl grinned.

It was a simple, easily understood order that all hunters keep an eye out for useful supplies while on the road; honey made for a fine food additive, but being produced by the common alchemilla bee, also held strong body mending and Aura-restoring properties if mixed with the green herbs that dotted the land. Blue mushrooms had a symbiotic relationship with the forest flora, growing in poisoned or diseased areas and metabolising the infection to create nutrients for itself, effectively extending the lifespan of what would otherwise be a sick tree at the cost of forcing it to share in its store of energy; properly prepared and consumed, it could absorb infections and poisons to be passed safely as bodily waste.

While such things could be farmed, the dangerousness of the world for the common person meant that even the most well-prepared beekeepers could be heavily pressured with the demands from both hospitals and restaurants, so having extra flowing into New Vale eased the city. It also intrigued the researchers to see just how different even the most common of materials were based on location.

While Glynda did not discourage the two apprentice hunters from doing their best to provide, she wished they would stop wasting so much energy pursuing common materials… or bickering, for that matter.

"You wouldn't have even been able to take out its tendons without my help!" Yang argued, drawing a snort from Ruby that would have earned her a well-earned smack if she'd tried it with Glynda. Yang punctuated her declaration by grabbing the neck of her hunting horn, a long series of bones molded and fitted together in the shape of an enormous smoking pipe, the head of which was as thick as her torso and studded with thick, blunt spikes, while a durable blue air bladder filled an empty cavity burrowed out of the sturdy bone. Numerous screws and leather straps kept the whole absurdity in one piece, while a series of depressions and buttons would allow captured air to escape up the neck and out the end like a pressurized didgeridoo.

"Oh you're _always_ saying: ' _you could never do this'_ or ' _you could never do that without my horn.'_ Well lemme tell you somethin', _sista,"_ Ruby grabbed the handles at her hips and, with an idle toss, threw her bone hatchets into the air to catch them with a daring grin, the sickly yellow dual blades each smaller than Glynda's and Yang's weaponry, but still larger and heavier than a pair of sensible short swords, "help all you want, it's these sweet babies doing all the work!" Ruby's weapons looked like sawed, shaped, and sharpened jaw bones, small, pointed teeth still embedded along the tip of the spine, with leather wrapped around the handles below the fitted guards.

Glynda rolled her eyes; if she was petty, she would remind them that _she_ had dealt the most fatal of blows. If she was _petty,_ of course.

The Nargacuga had been a fine fight for the three of them; Glynda had broken a sweat trying to keep up with the beast, whose finely honed senses prevented the three of them from flanking properly to surround it. Each limb was seemingly spiked, allowing it to lash out from all angles at any moment, and despite Glynda's annoyance with the girls' bragging, she knew that the girls had done their best, and allowed her for a much cleaner, easier kill.

She intended to let their father know of their contributions: Yang had realized that the big bat monster relied on its sensitive hearing to track their movements, and rather than spend the air collected in her horn's bladder on empowering her allies with enchanted music, she had expended it all in a cacophonous, explosive trumpet that had dizzied the monstrosity, and sent it biting at rocks and tree stumps in its pain. Ruby, small and agile as she was, had capitalized by avoiding its spined limbs and hacking away at its feet and wings until the beast was all but immobile, giving their mentor ample time to set up a killing blow straight through the heart.

Of course, her will to praise and admire the upcoming huntresses was tempered by her steadily growing annoyance at their constant one-upmanship.

"Fine! I'll take the next order for a Jagras hunt _alone."_ Yang snapped, and Ruby boldly _laughed_ in her sister's face.

"Oh, sure, your big dumb horn is _so_ scary! You can send all the Jagras running while _I_ take the alpha by myself!" Ruby huffed, and Yang sneered.

"Assuming you can stop yourself from wanting to _mount it_ long enough to kill it!"

"At least I'm not constantly fawning over a stupid _dodo!"_

Their growling reached a peak until Glynda held up a fist, silencing them and drawing their attention. The Aptonoth came to a stop from a sharp pull of its bridle, and the small caravan came to an apprehensive still. Then, Glynda raised a finger, making it clear they weren't in danger, just about to be tested: "what do you hear?" She asked.

Both girls raised an ear, and simultaneously answered, "water." There was a river through the trees to their right, the rush of liquid sounding more like a long series of rapids than a babbling brook. A perfect place to catch some fish during migration season, and there would be plenty of ferns and herbs to gather, maybe even a rare seed!

Ruby and Yang shared an excited look, while Glynda gestured again, "now what do you smell?"

They lifted their noses into the air now, and took a few deep sniffs, then immediately grimaced. "Poop." They both stated flatly, drawing a nod from the Scout Master. The both of them had a quick moment of fear that they'd be ordered to collect some...

Their blonde leader whirled on them, hands on her hips. "Correct. Water draws life, and fresh excrement means something passed by recently. You two are to take the Aptonoth down to the river for it to drink; you will protect our supplies while setting up a fire. I, meanwhile, will search the area for signs of a monster. If you have evidence one is nearby, what will you do?"

"Ready the dung pods and cover each other's backs." Yang answered, drawing a nod.

"Order the Apty down and shoot a flare in case it attacks." Ruby followed up, getting what may have been a pleased grin from Glynda.

"Excellent. Get to it, lunch is fast approaching, and, assuming we're safe, I would like to eat." The two girls gave an excited cheer, taking the Apty by its bridle to guide it carefully between the trees and down a slope, while Glynda followed her nose.

Four bowls of soup each was a small breakfast for a hunter, even a young one. A healthy mixture of constant exercise, Aura usage, and remaining on alert taxed a hunter's body, and carrying such large, heavy weaponry wasn't much help in that regard. The ravenous appetites of hunters was widely known, with organizations deploying them requiring a dozen dedicated cooks to keep even a single platoon happy. One hunter could eat their way through enough food to feed a full family of four, and seconds weren't a rarity either. That most hunters kept off debilitating weight was a testament to the amount of work they put into their jobs, assuming they weren't just growing fat and living off of reputation and status.

It was a common worry among the traders and managers of major settlements: was it possible to feed both an entire civilian body _and_ the endlessly hungry hunters that guarded them? It was an even bigger issue where Ruby was concerned; the amount of movement and strength that it took to use her weapons drained her faster than her sister, so if Yang was hungry enough for a single four person family…

"Wait." Yang ordered tersely, smacking her whining younger sister's hand as she reached for one of a dozen dried fish getting roasted by a large campfire.

"'m hungry!" Ruby insisted, her blades sticking out of a larger, riverside boulder she had slammed them in. Neither was cracked, and thanks to the Aura that had coated them, wouldn't need sharpening either.

"You're _always_ hungry." Yang smirked, sitting down by her sister's side on a large log they had 'procured.' Their boots pushed aside a multitude of pebbles that lined the rushing rapids, thankfully giving them some flat, if crumbly land for them to set up a quick lunch, as well as allow their pack beast to suck down mouthfuls of cool, fresh water.

The sun sat high in the pretty blue sky, signalling that it was about noon. The day was warm and cozy, and the sounds of distant crashing alerted the girls to the possibility of local beasts, but they remained unworried. Getting apprehensive was what caused the Grimm to appear, and while some petty arguing would draw nothing more than some annoyed monsters, the last thing a caravan in the middle of the woods needed was to wind themselves up with worry, lest they draw Grimm, and the Grimm drew monsters, and the entire camp fell to a bloody brawl.

However, neither girl dwelled on it. Ruby licked her lips as she watched a distant family of Kelbi gather at the riverside and dip their snouts into the water, two of the young bucks butting heads with their fresh antlers. "Kelbi horns?" Ruby asked Yang, who shrugged her bare shoulder as she turned the fish over to roast the other side.

"Don't go too far if you chase 'em." Yang ordered, and Ruby shot to her feet. "I wasn't saying you _should."_ Yang smirked as her sister tore her blades out of the boulder, while Ruby just smiled.

"Too late! Suggestion taken!" Ruby glanced at the fish longingly, and Yang waved her away.

"I'll try and call when they're ready, just don't piss off Glynda."

With that, Ruby nodded and took off.

Kelbi weren't difficult prey; in fact, even compared to the much slower, meatier Aptonoth, they were downright murderable. The tall, whispy, deer hopped and skipped away for their lives as Ruby made her presence known by hacking straight through a young, green-furred buck's neck. Ten years ago, the splatter of blood across her face would have left Ruby inconsolable, but years of watching conflicts both close and far, and regular hunting alongside her family made her much more relaxed.

It wasn't that she enjoyed the violence, nor the taking of life, but a central tenet of hunting was that the loss of one life beget the growth of another; not through some creepy transference ritual, but the dead Kelbi gave meat to feast on, fur to warm up in, and horns to grind into potions to cure ailments. In turn, if the alpha Kelbi that charged Ruby had succeeded in killing her–as opposed to finding itself without a head–then it would have extended its and its packmates' lives by removing a predator.

With a swift headcount, Ruby saw that three bucks and eight does were racing off into the woods, enough to allow the herd to breed itself whole once more, while leaving behind four dead bucks for Ruby to return to camp with. It was a cycle, one the hunters were very in-tune with; hunting monsters wasn't easy, nor was it often fun, and bringing enough meat and monster materials into town for food, clothing, and tools was a hard enough job without wiping out the population of herbivores that sustained them.

Kill too many Aptonoth and New Vale and Beacon would both suffer from a loss of meat in their diet, but allow too many to roam free, and many of the herbs, fruits, and vegetables they also relied upon would disappear into the monsters' gullets. The researchers regularly counted herds, and pressed upon young hunters to be wary of culling too much. Ruby was confident that, despite the loss of four hardy males, the Kelbi herd she'd disrupted would bounce back during the next mating season.

Ruby had always heard that disrupting the cycle of eat and be eaten was a precarious thing; she didn't believe that was true out in the woods, but off the top of her head, she knew the three thousand citizens of New Vale, and the three hundred hunters of Beacon could very easily eat themselves into starvation. She'd nearly seen it happen not five years ago when a floral disease ravaged the vegetable farms, leaving many of their crops inedible. Watching her father fret over the livelihoods of nearly three-and-a-half thousand people was stressful, especially as she watched the food markets dry up.

The successful introduction of the blue mushrooms they normally kept separate helped, and it had apparently been a meticulous process to ensure they didn't leach the soil of whatever vital plant food potatoes found in it. She didn't know the full breadth of the science or thought behind it, but she was glad the eggheads had figured it all out.

Four legless carcasses thrown over her shoulders, eight horns stuffed into her belt pouches, and four heads cast off to the woods, Ruby started her walk back to lunch. She could already taste that roasted fish, and the rolls they'd packed away melting in her mouth together. And they had Kelbi now, too! It wasn't quite as tasty as Apty-meat, but Kelbi _was_ pretty yummy.

She walked along the riverbank, watching the smoke rising in the distance from their fire, and scanned the water for anything else she could stuff into her pouches. An herb or two stood out to her, and she saw a few large fish racing down the current, but what really caught her eye was a long, gnarled branch jutting out of the water. It didn't _look_ like a root, so it was probably just some debris from upstream, but after peeling her eyes off the potentially edible moss growing on its bark, she caught sight of something caught betwixt the branches.

The rushing water obscured most of it, and it kind of looked like a weird, black piece of cloth that got caught, but the closer she looked, the less she was sure. It wasn't until she spied the pale face the mass of black was attached to floating above the water's surface did she realize what she was looking at.

* * *

"In all likelihood, it was some breed of fanged wyvern." Glynda stated factually, resting on the log Ruby and Yang had pulled up to the fire. She blew across the hide of the roasted fish, cooling it partially before biting into its crispy flesh to get to the tender meat underneath.

"Righteous, what kind? Zinogre?" Yang asked. She rapidly took bites of fish, bread, and from a steamed vegetable medley to be quickly chewed up and swallowed in record time. Many hunters were speed eaters to not waste precious daylight hours, but the rate at which they inhaled their meals often left restaurant chefs dismayed at how little they could have possibly tasted.

"Not enough scorch marks in the area, so doubtful, unless it had utterly spent itself and was crawling back home. However, the claw marks in the ground suggested it was travelling, not marking territory. Perhaps a youth hunting for new territory after being chased out of the nest." The Scout Master uncorked a canteen and drank deeply, savoring the cooling water with a small sigh, periodically glancing over her shoulder. "If your sister takes any more time she'll be left with MREs for the rest of the trip."

"Aww, c'mon, Auntie, don't be mean." Yang pouted, following her mentor's eyes out to the opposite bank of the river. "She couldn't have gone too far, just a buncha Kelbi." The blonde shrugged, swigging from her own canteen.

"This _is_ your sister we're talking about–and again, stop calling me Auntie on a mission." Glynda went to take another bite of food, then paused, "the same sister who spent an entire expedition following fur trails rather than gathering spider web, as she was asked."

"That was two years ago!" Yang snickered, but did worriedly glance back. To her delight, she saw Ruby racing towards them with something on her back, and she nodded towards the woman. "There she is! She even caught one, so—"

Glynda shot to her feet to stare at the approaching girl in the distance, her posture lowering the slightest bit in apprehension, her eyes narrowing, her meal forgotten. Yang followed suit upon seeing her elder's posture, reaching for her horn, but Glynda gestured for her to stop.

" _Yang! Auntie!"_ Ruby cried out from the distance, closing the gap quickly. The thing on her back was a whole lot of black, certainly not a Kelbi, but the limbs were definitely some sort of humanoid. A bloody humanoid, at that... " _I found a dead chick in the river!"_

"Dead chick?" Yang asked Glynda, who straightened up in confusion. " _Is she cute?!"_ Yang called over the roaring water, and got a smack to her shoulder from the older woman.

" _Yang!_ Go grab the first aid kit from the cart, quickly!" She ordered, turning back to Ruby as the girl began to leap across rocks in the river.

Glynda's first impression of the young lady in front of her was that she was the most dead looking Faunus Glynda had ever seen, and she had seen other Faunus die right in front of her. The girl was pale, her face nearly white, her leg an absolute mangled mess, her body covered in so many bruises that Glynda would have called it a domestic dispute gone _very_ wrong if the wounds weren't so obviously from creatures other than a humanoid. A touch to her neck, however, confirmed a miracle: the girl was not dead… but the next hour or so could change that.

Ruby looked up to Glynda's expression with a frightened look, and Glynda reminded herself that she was the adult here, she was to lead by example. She looked up to see Yang running over with a brown bag in her arms, handing it over to Scout Master to pull out glass vials of potions as well as bandages.

"Whoa, she _is_ cute." Yang noted with a blink, tilting her head curiously as she laid a hand across her forehead, then winced. "And burning _up."_

"She most likely has a fever from an infection due to that leg of hers," Glynda explained, popping a cork to let loose a heavily alcoholic scent that left both girls twitching in distress at memories of their own treatments, "for now, Yang, I need splints for her leg; don't take too long, we can't waste time here."

"Got it." Yang stood up swiftly, catching one of Ruby's hatchets when it was thrown to her, then going to the log they'd been perched on. After deeming it too soft to use she raced up to the trees to find sturdy branches.

Ruby watched with a focused expression, her hands balled into small fists as the antiseptic brew was poured into the mysterious black-haired girl's ragged leg wounds. It fizzed and bubbled and seeped in, but despite the extraordinary amount of pain it must have caused, the girl's face didn't twitch. "Auntie, is she…?"

"She _will_ be if we don't treat her. Ruby," Glynda looked up to her young ward seriously, her frown making Ruby swallow thickly and tighten her guts to avoid growing despondent with worry, "I need three things: we have two chillshrooms, I need you to grind one as finely as you can and mix it with the water in one of our canteens, that will help reduce her fever. Second, blue mushrooms and dried bitterbug—"

"Nutrient drink." Ruby answered, and Glynda confirmed with a nod.

"And, lastly, a potion; get the honey Yang collected and mix it with one of our potions, this is serious enough to warrant some extra-strength healing. With any luck, the treatment will keep her _alive_ long enough to reach Beacon; whether we can save her leg or not is another matter."

"Yes ma'am." Ruby didn't hesitate to dig into the first aid kit and pull out a pestle and mortar. Just like how Auntie Peach had taught her, Ruby began to swiftly and efficiently grind the ingredients into a proper, soluble form. Her canteen turned ice cold as she shook the chillshroom powder inside of it, and carefully they filled the girl's mouth with the mixture.

The black-haired Faunus began to swallow with a little bit of encouragement, and a loud, distressed gasp escaped her as her body temperature fell dramatically within the minute, her fever falling with it.

Yang returned with a pair of long, whittled poles, given just enough work to lay flat against that nearly destroyed leg, and some additional pruning made them the right size. As the girl was force fed a potion, Glynda wrapped her leg with bandages and the twin splints.

With the leg bound and the girl full of potions the three huntresses carefully lifted her onto the back of the wagon, pushing everything aside so the young, wounded lady could rest on one side. "Ruby," Glynda spoke in a continually serious voice, "you'll be in the wagon keeping the goods and our rescue separate."

Ruby bobbed her head swiftly, climbing in to crouch where she could, while Yang swiftly gathered up all their food. "We eatin' on the go?" She asked, handing several sticks of roasted fish to Ruby as their mentor nodded.

"We've not much of a choice. Fill the canteens quick as you can, and let's get back to civilization."

With that, the girls nodded. As Yang went to refill their water, Ruby leaned over the girl's face to examine her closely. She rest a hand gently on the unknown Faunus' cheek, and tried to smile, "it'll be okay. We always pull through in the worst of times."

The unconscious girl's face flickered, almost in recognition, or maybe in pain, but Ruby looked ahead as the wagon began to roll, a bite of fish in her mouth.

* * *

 **AN:** Hello everyone, this is an idea I've been brooding on for the better part of a year. I want to take the opportunity to explain my experience with Monster Hunter; I have only played the latest game, World, which I understand is a bit of a divisive entry due. I am educating myself on the rest of the series through the magic of various wikis and YouTube, so apologies if the early chapters are a bit stale in selection.

However, I immediately fell in love with the world of Monster Hunter, as well as its inhabitants' enthusiasm towards studying, hunting, and even preserving the various monsters they share the world with. Being a big fan of RWBY's characters as well, and the two having some intriguing compatibility when I put some thought into it, I decided to go ahead and give this idea a try.

I hope it's an entertaining experience for everybody, I certainly enjoyed writing it!


	2. Chapter 2

… _Starlight?_

Luminous golden eyes fluttered weakly in confusion. How long had she spent spiralling down into the abyss? She hazily recalled a night of pain and terror, the sound of rushing water, then… nothing. A void; cold, endless, numbness… all of which passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

And here she was, watching the stars amidst a dark blue tapestry, shadowed boughs obstructing the view. The crunch of grass, the labored breathing of something larger than a man, the creak of old wooden wheels… these meaningless details passed unnoticed through the fog of her mind as she swallowed thickly and watched the heavens in a daze.

Seeing the sky and regaining the ability to focus came with some downsides, however; as Blake absentmindedly admired the beauty above, she steadily became aware of the somewhat alarming full-body pain she was in. She didn't feel immediately overwhelmed by it, it was more like she was in the depths of the flu, nausea and head pains included on top of the contrary mix of searing fever and shivering cold, but she felt… _alive._ Alive and utterly _miserable…_

She sucked dryly at the cool air, her mouth feeling like cotton, her stomach churning in pain–whether from sickness or hunger, she couldn't be sure–and her leg felt… numb? She tried to flex her toes and had no idea if she succeeded. That wasn't a good sign, was it? The cart bounced over a rock and she realized she was _in a cart with a leg that no longer worked..._

She let out a noise, so shrill and pathetic that she regretted it immediately, but she didn't know what to _do…_ she didn't feel like she could move, the… _blanket_ on top of her just felt so heavy, it was smothering her _._ Her heart began to hammer and suddenly, the heat under her covering was unbearable, and nothing made _sense,_ her arms weakly flailing to toss off the oppressive sheet _._

Something huge and out of sight grunted and, all at once, the cart went still as something next to her began to stir. She went rigid, arms freezing mid-motion, the rising tension making the countless points of pain dotting her body flare up, but she remained still. She blinked away tears of panic and rising agony as a woman sat up by her side; she would have been harder to make out to a human without the light of Remnant's broken moon, but with the exceptional night vision afforded to her as a Faunus, Blake could easily see the short, disciplined blonde hair, the age lines in her face, and the expression of concern behind the small, neat spectacles the woman slid on while blinking in the dark.

A moment later, to her left and right, two more curious, younger faces peeked in at her: one with hair as yellow as the midday sun and rather wide shoulders for a girl, and another with the most curious, moonlit silver eyes she'd ever seen beneath a brunette haircut.

There was an awkward moment of silence as the three strangers watched her, no doubt struggling to make out anything other than the twin dots of her reflective eyes bouncing between them from the shadows.

"... Hi!" The silver-eyed girl squeaked, wearing a lopsided smile that made Blake want to glare; here she was feeling like she'd fallen out of a Rathian's butt, and this little… _human_ had the audacity to say ' _hi!'_ to her?! Who were these humans?! Why was she here with them?!

A thought that filled her with enough genuine terror as to numb her to her pain in a frightened surge of adrenaline occured: were they slavers? Had she been captured to be thrown into the mines?! She clutched the blanket to her bare chest and— her clothes were gone. They'd stripped her nude. For a moment, all color drained from her body as she realized there were worse fates that could befall a pretty young woman sold to some human overlord...

Her hands wordlessly began to grope for some sort of handhold to pull herself up, or a weapon to fight with; if she'd still had her sword she could have slit the nearby blonde's throat, but as quickly as she found the edge of the cart, her weak grip trembling to grasp one of the slats forming the side of the craft, they were swarming her, pushing her limbs down, shouting things she only barely heard.

"—urt yours—" The young blond growled.

"— _rope! Rope! Find the—"_ The creepy old woman who'd been _sleeping with her_ barked.

"— _you're hurt, you'll make it all—"_ The silver eyed girl whined while pushing at her stomach.

They soon had her arms pinned to the floor, and she gagged as she tried to spit out curses and scream, but nothing came out but a rusty wheeze until she tried to lift her leg to kick the younger blonde pinning her shoulder. The instant she tried to flex her knee, she felt resistance, as if it was wrapped, then burning, horrendous pain shot up her leg and straight into her stomach.

Her silence ended as she let out a ragged scream and promptly forgot she was being restrained. Nothing else mattered; her body was in agony, her life was pain, her thoughts were of fire and fervent wishes for it to end, and it wouldn't _stop._ Tiny cries escaped her as she thrust her chest upwards in an involuntary attempt to grasp her leg, her arms jerking feebly against the strength of her captors, but they had her completely immobilized with their bare hands. Her other leg weakly kicked, but it didn't have the strength to reach her jailors. She felt powerful hands frame her face and before she knew it, her head was being held up, some sort of flask held to her lips.

Her mouth was filled with the taste of bitter mushrooms sloshing in lukewarm water, and a hand covered her lips as she tried to spit it out. She wiggled weakly, but dainty fingers clamped onto her nose and as her lungs began to burn, she involuntarily swallowed and gasped for air once the hands pulled away, her stomach churning in revolt from the pain and sickness while her panicked mind tried to recall every poison they could have possibly just forced into her in the same moment.

Her hacking and ragged gagging was interrupted by another drink, this one applied with the same demanding force as the first one, but with a taste she recognized; the distinct flavor of sweetened, liquified green herbs filled her mouth, a comforting taste for all who had suffered serious injury and found themselves wailing for relief. She swallowed on instinct, her body craving the taste in it's weakened state the way a starving man would fall upon the scent of cooked meat. She sniffled, cursing her weakness even as she drank.

Her watery eyes went from concerned face to concerned face as she licked her still dry lips after taking the healing potion, and in an instant she felt the pain begin to recede, the unspeakable suffering turning into a throbbing ache that was far easier to cope with… and she was now so very _tired._

The faces of her three captors began to blur and darken, even as alarm bells in her head told her she was about to be collared and made to labor until she died, and then it all went black as she was sucked back into the abyss, time becoming inconsequential, and her body becoming nothing.

In her last moments, she tried to claw at the silver eyed one who caught her hand and squeezed it, mumbling _something—…_ well, probably something sinister! She flattened her ears as the back of her head thumped onto the cart, her eyes losing focus before closing.

Her last thought was the almost cheerful realization that she still had both legs.

* * *

The trio of Hunters stood behind the cart, silently staring at their rescue as she whimpered and mumbled in an uneasy rest. The forest around them chittered and called, beasts going about their business without the slightest care for the unfolding humanoid drama.

"So…" Ruby's voice broke the silence, causing her companions to glance at her as she bounced on her heels. "She's not dead!" She announced in false cheer, and though Glynda gave an amused chuckle at the declaration, she found herself fighting a frown as she took the rope Yang had pulled out of their equipment and, carefully, began to tie the girl's wrists together. She felt her youngest apprentice almost press against her to watch as best as she could in the dim light. "Watcha doing, Auntie?"

"Rose, if I have to remind you of proper protocol _one more time,"_ Glynda grunted as she made sure the knot was tight, then checked the Faunus' blood flow to ensure it wasn't cutting circulation to her hands, "I will not only have you reassigned to dung collection duties, you will be on dung _pod_ duties _as well."_ She almost growled.

Ruby bat her eyelashes, then sucked in her lips, scooting backwards to put distance between herself and her mentor as if proximity might tip the scales against her. It was one thing to be given a poop job, it was another to be given _two_ in a single day; a person's olfactory sense could only handle so much nasty! Not to mention she'd probably get a lame nickname from the other trainees… nobody wanted to be known as the ' _poop girl'_ or ' _skidmark'_...

While Ruby silently lamented becoming a social pariah due to monster droppings, Yang rested her hand on the unconscious Faunus' forehead. She hummed in thought and gently ran her fingers through sweaty, somewhat stiff black hair before pulling her hand away. "She's not nearly as hot anymore... but, seriously, what _are_ you doing Au— Scout Master?"

"Ensuring our patient here doesn't hurt herself, or any of us, should she awaken again." Glynda stated, carefully lifting the girl's head to get her hair out from under her, then drawing the blanket back up to her neck. "If she's regaining consciousness, then she's past the immediate danger of blood loss or infection; otherwise, she more than likely would have expired. It might be best for a slight change in course; if she's recovering this quickly, tending to her leg sooner rather than later would dramatically boost the chance she can keep it..."

"But we've got Aura, so you don't need to tie her up!" Ruby declared, then slapped both hands over her mouth as if it had betrayed her. Unseen in the shadows, Glynda rolled her eyes.

"And I'd rather you not waste it when rope should do the job. She's stronger than she was this morning, not stronger than us; this should be fine until we can reach…" She trailed off and her brow twitched in annoyance. "... help. Until we reach help." She lifted her glasses to squeeze the bridge of her nose, dreading a visit she'd have preferred to avoid. "We'll have to pick up the pace come daylight, and we'll be a day or two late getting home. Get the Aptonoth moving, our young lady should be out for quite a while."

Both girls seemed to agree with that, and Ruby took out a large, square case from their equipment and opened it up as Yang stretched. "Clock says you still have an hour to sleep before Yang's turn." She informed her mentor, earning a brief pat on the head that made her shimmy her hips happily as Glynda climbed back into the cart and smothered a yawn.

"Then, at the very least, I'll rest my head for the hour." Glynda sighed, laying her head back down on the sack of grain she had been using for a pillow. Ruby stowed the clock away once more, then blew Glynda a playful kiss goodnight as Yang fired off a sloppy salute and began walking around the cart.

"A'ight, Apty, no more napping, roll out!" Yang said, and with the sound of a quick smack and an annoyed, bestial grunt, the wagon began to move once more.

Silent as she could while her apprentices had a quiet argument over who had done more to restrain the flailing faunus, Glynda slid her hand towards her armor and weapons, and took her hunter's knife to hide under the blanket she was sharing with their rescue. Even as she turned to stare at the dark outline of the young, obviously suffering girl, she couldn't hide her worry. It was a hunter's duty to reach their hand out to whomever needed it, but she silently wondered if this was a step too far…

The black leather they'd cut the girl out of–currently stuffed inside of one of their jute bags–was unmistakable. The girl was a Tribesman, a potential problem waiting in the wings, one Glynda was taking into the very heart of their civilization out of a sense of guilt and duty. She would of course make sure everybody who needed to know _knew_ about her, but the discomfort that settled in her stomach wouldn't ease itself just because the girl had obviously gone through an agonizing trial. A scout, a warrior… a killer? Who, exactly, was she taking home…? And was the risk worth the stabbing guilt she would feel if her apprentices found out she willingly abandoned a potential terrorist to the merciless creatures that ruled these woods?

Glynda closed her eyes and kept her fist around the knife's handle, though anxiety didn't allow her to catch any further sleep.

* * *

The long march toward home wound its way through a seemingly endless stretch of gnarled, woody trunks, topped with a vast roof of green leaves. The terrain was dense with overgrown bushes, while the trees were so thoroughly wrapped in ivy that carrying rope was almost redundant.

The sheer size of the mighty oaks meant there was plenty of space to walk for the three hunters and their caravan, provided they went along the flattened animal trails, or chose the paths they or other travelers had hacked through on previous journeys, but they remained ever careful, their ears strained and eyes peeled for something amiss.

At least, that was what they were supposed to be doing; Ruby's eyes were firmly on their ailing passenger, watching the girl's every shiver and tightening of her face. She had a lot of questions about the girl, for her as well, but that was something that would simply have to wait… even if Ruby _hated_ waiting.

After nearly two days, the cute faunus had not fully woken again, at most blearily opening her eyes for less than an hour, mumbling names and places under her breath. The girl was capable of taking water unconsciously, though of course it had to be a slow trickle onto her tongue; deluging her would only lead to further complications, and probably a lot of yelling from Auntie Glynda. She had even taken a little bit of soup, which would hopefully help. None of it was as important as a steady supply of healing potions, however, which they could thankfully manufacture more of as they went, the lush forest providing ample plants and water for resourceful hunters lead by a seasoned scout familiar with the area.

Whoever she was, she was lucky; most people who got lost in the jungle, especially on a leg like that, and nearly submerged in the river would have been dead _long_ before anybody found them. Monsters, and the Grimm especially, knew no mercy, and catgirls were as unfortunately snackalicious as anyone else.

She _did_ wonder about the rope Auntie had left her wrists knotted up in, but considering she was in a cart full of sharp objects and valuable food, it probably wasn't a good idea for her to start flailing again. She knew it was Auntie's way to be overly cautious, but Ruby simply couldn't think of this poor, injured, helpless young woman as a potential threat… what was she going to do, bounce off their Aura and crawl away?

Ruby's head shot up, snapping her attention away from the mystery girl, as she heard an unusual shifting of dirt nearby, and she quickly glanced out into the woods for signs of a monster, but the source of the noise found her. Drawing a surprised squeak as an arm wrapped around her sister's neck and dragged her in close, Yang pressed her cheek to Ruby's, wearing the most obnoxious grin possible as the younger sister stumbled to keep her footing while glaring up at the taller girl.

"Hey, _pervert,_ maybe keep your eyes on the road, not the kitty?" Yang teased, tapping Ruby's nose to make the girl sniffle grumpily and swat at her hand.

"I'm making sure she's okay!" Ruby insisted, trying to push Yang off of her, but Yang was quite a big bigger, not to mention stronger, and didn't give that easily. With a silly grin, Yang wrapped both arms around her sister and plucked her off her feet in a bear hug. " _Getoff!"_ Ruby growled and kicked, her boots barely scraping the dirt as she swung in her sibling's embrace.

"Just _think_ Ruby..." Yang purred mockingly, nudging her sister's ear with her nose and ignoring the heel to the shin it earned her, "all that lies between you and some pretty girl flesh is a _blanket."_ Yang grinned sleazily, and Ruby's face began to fill up with red. "Hey, when you're napping next to her, you're being a _good girl,_ right? Not gonna make me defend this chick's sanctity or anything? I'm not ready to be an auntie..." Yang teased, then yelped as Ruby surged a much brighter red, and burst free in a burst of Aura-boosted strength to grab Yang with an offronted roar, hoisting her by the belt and shoulder to heave the larger girl off _her_ feet.

With an expression of embarrassed fury, Ruby was ready to chuck the blonde as far as she possibly could, while Yang dared her to do it and see what happened. Ruby was just adjusting her footing and finding the pointiest bush to aim for when the Scout Master turned on them both and cleared her throat, her expression frosty enough to make both girls freeze in place immediately.

Glynda quirked her eyebrow, clicked her tongue, and pointed at the ground. Yang yelped once more as she was unceremoniously dropped onto her rump at Ruby's feet, her little sister crossing her arms behind her back and humming an innocent tune. With _that_ done, Glynda let out a weary sigh and turned away to continue along by the Aptonoth's side, making sure the strong but stupid beast stayed on task. Once she was sure her mentor was no longer watching, Ruby placed a kick square into Yang's buttcheek as the larger girl was getting back to her feet, forcing her to faceplant back into the dirt. "Ow! Don't damage the equipment, ya bitch!" Yang shook her fist up at Ruby, and was hauled up with one hand and a dismissive sniff. "Oof, _somebody's_ cranky!"

"I'm not tryin'a molest her!" Ruby insisted with her arms crossed, looking grossed out and embarrassed by the suggestion. "I just don't want her to freak out and think she's out here alone if she wakes up again." Her frustration only mounted when a hand plopped on her head to ruffle her hair, and Yang grinned down at her.

"I'm messin' with ya, Rubes, chill!" She let out a low chuckle as Ruby grumbled from under her hand. "We both know you don't have the stones to go for it!" Her cheer didn't waver, not even when Ruby tried to glare her head on fire while the haze of her red Aura shrouded her body once more.

After Yang untangled herself from the ivy Ruby had hucked her into, she caught up to find her sister staring over their sleeping patient again. The young lady was relaxed, though a hand rest calmly on the handle of one of her blades; anything that thought they'd get the drop on her would quickly find themselves losing a limb. It doubled as silent sister speak for Ruby no longer wanting to play, probably because she was all embarrassed.

Rather than risk annoying her sister further–as much fun as it would be to see if she would get legitimately angry or just throw a tantrum–Yang went to the other side of the wagon instead. She looked over their wounded patient's still face, and then glanced up to Ruby. Her normally hyper sibling had her lips pursed just slightly, her eyes somewhat unfocused as she visibly thought on something. "What's on your mind, sis?" Yang asked, and Ruby gave her an annoyed glare as she was dragged out of her own head.

"...I want to throw her a party." She admitted after a moment, shrugging one shoulder as her sister let the answer sink in.

"A party?" Yang asked, and Ruby nodded, her expression turning into a small smile. "Why? I mean, she's not _that_ hot." Though maybe after a shower and some primping she'd be worth celebrating...

"No, idiot! She's _lucky_! If I hadn't found her, and heroically rescued her while you stirred soup, she'd be dead!" She puffed out her modest chest while Yang grunted unhappily at the implication that Ruby got to claim dumb luck as a win over her efforts. "So, like, instead of letting her feel crappy 'cuz her leg is borked, she's lost, her clothes are totalled, _aaaaaaand_ I think she lost a clump of hair in the river somewhere… we should celebrate! A ' _yay! We finished our mission and you didn't die!'_ party!" Ruby threw her arms out excitedly, making Yang snicker.

"Sure, that could be a fun way to blow what we earn on this mission." She nodded, making Ruby bounce in place and clap. "I mean, it's not like we're actually going to start saving like Dad wants!" The two giggled at the silly notion of fiscal responsibility.

"Be mindful to use some of your funds on maintenance," Glynda spoke from up ahead, making the two girls flinch at the expected admonishment, "a celebratory feast is normal; but, it's easy to get caught up in your excitement in the marketplace and forget to budget so your equipment can stay at peak performance."

"Yes Auntie." Both girls answered in perfect, well practiced stereo, causing their mentor to rub her forehead wearily and briefly debate punishing them just for the satisfaction of it... The two apprentices froze as the Scout Master stopped, the Aptonoth rolling ahead a few steps. The older woman raised a finger, lowered her head, then let out a small sigh.

"What _ever_ you decide to do with her, be sure to respect her wishes. Whatever trauma she experienced could be well and truly beyond your comprehension; she may not want to 'party,' or even speak to us at length. Don't pressure her too much if she doesn't want to engage with you, understood?" They nodded, even offering surprisingly official looking salutes. It figured they'd take being good friends and caretakers more seriously than respectful Hunter protocol. She took a few steps to catch up to the cart, then turned her head towards the girls with a dark look. " _Scout. Master."_ She all but snarled through her clenched teeth, and both girls gulped, then nodded rapidly until she let out a small huff and resumed her march. She was glad they couldn't see her amused smirk when she heard their boots scrambling to catch up once they were sure she was done scolding them.

"What about…" Yang trailed off, resuming their conversation as if Glynda hadn't just verbally spanked them, tapping her cheek with one finger as her lips pursed in thought while Ruby watched her sister curiously. "If we wanna celebrate on the cheap, why don't we take her down to our favorite fishing spot? Catch her some fresh salmon, grill it up right there, bring some snacks and Zwei, and we'll have all the time in the world to chill out. For _free_." She all but announced to the Scout Master's unconcerned back.

Silver eyes sparkled at the suggestion, and Ruby practically salivated. "Ooooh, we haven't gone fishing in _weeks._ We should get some rock salt and spices from the markets!" She all but squeed, and Yang gave a throaty, hungry groan that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a late night inn room.

"Get some fresh fruit to grill it with, and fresh milk…"

"We wanna take coal or wood?"

" _Wood,_ get a nice smokey flavor to it…"

A loud clearing of her throat put the girls' attention on Glynda, who was turning back to give them a raised eyebrow. "I do hope you two are keeping your eyes and ears open?" She asked, and the two of them quickly looked off to different ends of the surrounding jungle like they weren't still silently planning their feast. Glynda was convinced she had never been _that_ young… "I would also like to point out that taking her outside of New Vale on that leg would be a damned foolish thing to do; she would be entirely reliant on the two of you to get her away from anything that catches you all by surprise, unable to even flee on her own while you performed a fighting retreat to the gate. If you two want to celebrate with her, keep it _in_ the city. If you have your hearts set on grilled fish, Corcese is my recommendation."

"I _hate_ Corcese!" Ruby announced with her nose in the air, stomping her boot and making Yang snicker.

"Are you _still_ mad they tried to cook Zwei?" The blonde asked, and Ruby huffed.

"Poogies are friends, not food!" She snapped, glaring at the thought of anyone hurting her beloved pig. Yang nodded sagely, and Glynda decided against reminding them where most of their morning bacon came from… poogies were far tamer than other hog-like monsters and thus, much easier to raise in captivity.

All conversation stopped, and the caravan came to a halt at the echoing reverberation of a distant snarl. Three heads swivelled in the direction of the noise, the Aptonoth coming to a nervous halt to paw at the dirt. Glynda snapped lightly and pointed and the beast dragged itself behind some bushes with the wagon squeaking behind it and lowered itself, the thick shrubbery doing a passable job hiding the large creature. Their cargo and injured companion secured for the moment, the three hunters went still, and they held their breaths as the sound of distant calls and bellowing howls grew clearer. Ruby crawled into the back of the wagon and drew her hatchets, crouching over the black-haired girl defensively, her expression one of pure determination as she held the handles of her weapons hard enough to make her knuckles pop.

Glynda strained her ears to listen more closely, waiting in a crouch with Yang by her side. The younger of the two blondes had her hand on her hunting horn's neck just in case, and was alternating between looking through the imposing trunks and at the Scout Master. She gave her apprentice a soft nudge.

"Don't look at _me,_ Yang, I won't always be with you." Glynda spoke softly, her expression steely as she watched the world around them, pretending she didn't hear the unhappy little sound Yang made. "Trust your own eyes and ears, as well as your training. My senses are no sharper than your own." She admitted without shame, and Yang swallowed thickly, but her smile grew in anticipation. She closed her eyes a moment, focusing on the sounds ringing out from within the forest.

"... It's noisy as shit, but doesn't sound bigger than the Nargacuga." She said with a low chuckle, and Glynda nodded, flashing a ghost of a smile at her students input.

"Maybe not alone, but there's far more than one monster making all that racket."

Yang blinked at Glynda, and closed her eyes once more, focusing entirely on her hearing. The distant scuffling of claws through the vegetation, the roaring she had mistaken for one endless cacophony was really two different sets of competing sounds… she was right, there was more than one, more than one _group_ now that she had the hint. "You said your senses were as crap as mine!" Yang accused with an unseen pout, and Glynda merely flared her nostrils.

"That is not how I put it, Yang, and I hardly lied: my hearing is no better than yours, I'm just better at listening." She did her best to glare despite the low visibility, and she was pleased to hear Yang clear her throat nervously.

"I'm not hearing any fighting…" Yang murmured, trying to change the subject. Ruby let out a low snicker and Glynda shook her head, letting Yang win this time.

"Two packs of monsters contesting territory, perhaps? It may not have turned into a fight yet." Glynda glanced back at her two hunters in training, thinking to herself for a moment, before giving a small nod. "Ruby, Yang, I'll guard the wagon. Get out your logbooks and go investigate."

"Wha'? Really?" Ruby asked, glancing down at their passenger, Yang looking to the Scout Master with an expression of shining delight that nearly lit up the darkness and making the older woman smirk.

"You two want to see more monsters? They should be far too busy posturing at one another to notice they're being watched… So, go see them; _safely,_ of course, I will not be the one to suffer your father's wrath as a result of your stupidity." She warned sharply, and with a pair of nods, the two sisters let out half-heartedly muted squeals of joy before they pulled their books out of their packs and raced out of the brush to follow the sound of the snarling, snapping, and roaring. Glynda let out a fond sigh as her pupils recklessly charged toward the sounds of potential battle. "Kids…" She mumbled to herself before climbing into the cart, standing over her unconcious patient and crossing her arms under her bust, her body language seemingly daring the forest to send some of its denizens to test her.

The girls kept low to the ground, bounding from cover to cover in a crouch as they kept their ears open. The interior of the forest was even darker than the more open road, the oppressive canopy blocking out almost all light. Luckily, the girls could see just enough to avoid slamming into anything in their hurried advance, and they froze at every unexpected sound, bodies taut as bowstrings if the need to battle arose. The shrubbery gave them plenty of places to hide as they went, but they could just as easily be sheltering some animal or monster if they weren't careful.

A quick slash of a knife marked the way the girls were going, gouging wide marks into thick bark and ensuring they could find their way back as they travelled further and further from their mentor and the road. A faint yellow glow loomed ahead, drawing them closer, and they soon saw the source of the drama.

Amidst the great trees that filled Vale, the one the dispute was unfolding under was by far one of the largest the Xiao Long girls had seen. Some of the old civilization books they had laying around Beacon's research institute had man made buildings in Old Vale that weren't nearly as large as this tree, which could have served as a support for an aerial restop for travelling hunters. It's powerful branches and no doubt massive roots had cleared the area around it, allowing the sky to be seen once more. Glowing wedge beetles slowly ambled among the leaves, as did the swirling native cousins to scout flies as they sought other, smaller insects to feast on. The gentle blue light of glowmoss came from the roots. Combined, the organic light sources acted as a natural spotlight, giving the two trainee hunters a wonderfully clear view after twenty-five minutes of near-stumbling in the dark.

The light was also just enough to put their notebooks to good use, and Yang was quick to note the gorgeous details of the clearing, but Ruby was more focused on sketching the beasts spitting hate at one another at the base of the tree.

Dirt had been dug out from beneath the tree's roots to create a nest for a large number of Jagras, panther-like lizards with yellow-scaled backs and long spines, with blue bellies and uniform stripes across their sides. They were spread in clumps of three and four, some blocking the entrance to the tunnel, others spread around the clearing or even in the branches to leer downward and wait for an opening to leap down and strike. Around twenty of them bared needle like teeth and hissed angrily at a menacing pack.

Before them was near fifteen or so Velociprey, raptors with blue scales, white underbellies, and beak-colored snouts, also filled with thin, sharp teeth, but more prominently, were scratching at the ground with their big toe claws. In the crowd of raptors were two shredded Jagras, barely distinguishable by their yellow scales as the Velociprey quickly ripped strips off the corpses and quickly gulped them down, the taller predators and the ground they took covered in a deep, gut-wrenching red. While the Jagras were focused solely on the intruders, the Velociprey frequently snapped at one another for space or access to meat, inviting the smaller Jagras to harry them until they ceased their bickering and bellowed, charging to drive the quadrupeds back.

While the bird-like Velociprey stood at about the size of a man, a much larger member of their pack towered over them with a unique red head crest; the Velocidrome lunged forward, snapping at the closest Jagras, driving the smaller lizards back. With only their nest to dive into–probably full of eggs and leftovers of their former hunts–the Jagras had nowhere to run, and all the reason to fight for their territory.

One Jagras, unlucky enough to be ahead of the rest, found itself being being dragged from its barking nestmates in the Velocidrome's jaws, being shaken around briefly, before a quick tightening of the Veloci-alpha's jaws broke its back, then tossed into the waiting claws of the Velociprey. The smaller raptors almost ran one another over in their haste to fall on the easy meal, one going to far as to try to shove the larger Velocidrome aside, earning a howling snarl from the bigger beast that made it scurry away and let out a contrite trill.

"That must be some prime monster real estate." Yang noted, quickly looking over to confirm that Ruby had written down species and numbers. "Think the Velociguys are tryin'a move in?"

"If they can stop ticking eachother off long enough... Oooh, think the Jagras have an alpha with 'em?" Ruby asked, lifting her head and bouncing it around as she searched. Yang simply shrugged and both their eyes returned to the action.

Once its pack had finished feasting, The Velocidrome let out a short, sharp howl and suddenly charged into the smaller Jagras. Its squawking warcry ended in a loud, ugly gagging as it vomited a spray of stomach acid onto one of the iguana-monster's faces, leaving it shrieking as it flailed blindly, rolling across the dirt and clawing at it's agonized face only to get dragged by the tail into two of the 'prey's raking talons. The loss of their comrade set the Jagras into furious barking, and two of their number from on top of the tree leapt down, knocking the Velocidrome off its feet in a screeching flurry of claws and snapping jaws, causing both factions to charge. The battle quickly became bloody as the raptors and the Jagras latched onto each other, tooth and claw, with 'prey falling as their fragile legs were bitten to pieces and their necks ripped open, while the Jagras were spat on, flipped, and has their stomachs opened up.

Blood filled the entrance of the Jagras nest, screaming and shrieking springing from both sides, the raptors having the distinctive upper hand with their stronger claws and vomitous spray. Only the Jagras' superior agility and teamwork let them hold on as long as they did, but their numbers were thinning rapidly. Yang grimly calculated that if the pack dropped below six, they would probably not survive the next time they encountered another large monster during a hunt. Suddenly, the battle halted as the earth trembled, and an echoing snarl rose from the gaping hole under the tree. The Velocidrome dropped a Jagras from its small, frontal claws to turn towards the nest's entrance with a challenging growl, and Ruby's question was answered as the remaining Jagras rushed to flank the entrance, roaring and chattering with renewed fervor as the last member of their pack emerged.

It was a Jagras, but far, _far_ bigger, with a more shovel-chinned iguana head than the svelte lizard domes of its pack. Large, tendril-like hairs laid across the nape of its neck and breadth of its back like a mane. It let out a rumbling, unhappy growl, like rocks tumbling down a cliff as it pulled itself along on splayed legs, its overly bloated belly gouging a trench into the dirt as it advanced. The massive, fat Jagras was only about as tall as the Velocidrome, but also twice the length, and _far_ heavier. In terms of sheer mass, the beast had the 'drome beat, and as it stretched its jaws, a much bigger mouth. It was impossible to know if the Great Jagras was capable of feeling loss as a human did, but when it inhaled the scent of blood and it's eyes roamed the fallen remains of it's pack, it let out a sound like a brutally furious gasp and it's tail thrashed so hard that a root the width of a man's shoulders was shattered on impact. The Velociprey immediately edged backwards, unwilling to stand with their alpha while the Jagras climbed the tree or flanked their largest member, positioning themselves to assist the bigger beast however they could.

"Oh! Uh…" Yang pointed at the Great Jagras thoughtfully as it _roared_ , warning the intruders to leave; _now._ She eyed its enormous, distended stomach and snapped a few times as she searched her memory. "It looks like it's in its… _first_ stage of digestion?"

"First, yup. Man, it's bigger than Big J back home." Ruby noted, both of them writing down their observations in between quick glances upwards as the Velocidrome snarled back and let out a series of calls, causing its shuffling packmates to reluctantly move closer to it, forming a loosely unified front against the Jagras. "Probably ate less than three hours ago; a stomach that big might mean a whole Aptonoth, or a lot of water with a Gajau clutch inside…"

"Ugh, Jagras diarrhea…" Yang made a face and Ruby blanched at the notion. Blonde hair flailed as Yang tried to shake the idea out of her head and regain her focus. "Ewe, sorry… um, maybe it found a Gargwa nest?" She offered hopefully, getting a sullen glare in return. The two resumed watching as a large Velociprey, probably the beta male of its pack, stepped up alongside its leader and tensed. The Velocidrome made a horribly loud shriek, leapt to one side, and charged soon after, the Great Jagras' head following the sudden motion, it's bulk shifting to meet the threat. The beta Velociprey took the opening to swoop in from the side, trying to reach the bigger beast's flank while it was distracted.

"They can pull fakeouts?!" Ruby gasped, her jaw hanging loose until her sister elbowed her.

"Write, damnit, this is gold!" Yang ordered. The improvised trap had been clever, but what the Jagras lacked in cunning, they made up for in tenacity. A duo of smaller Jagras met the charging beta, snapping at it's ankles, slowing it down and buying their alpha precious time to meet its counterpart head on.

The 'drome's teeth sank into the Jagras' nose, but it had to quickly double-back as the big lizard's mouth nearly closed around its head. The Great Jagras charged briefly, forcing the 'drome to openly retreat a moment. The 'drome driven back, the Jagras let out a sharp snarl that caused it's smaller kin to scatter right before it's tail came around like a whip to swat the thwarted 'prey beta to the ground. While the big Velociprey whined, dazed by the sheer force of the blow, the massive Jagras rose on its back legs briefly, its belly lifting off the ground, and body-slammed the downed beta 'prey with all of its weight. Both girls watching winced at the crunch, a sickening dry heave a moment later, then the disgusting sudden ejection of a fully grown female Aptonoth from the Great Jagras' distended mouth. The beast's stomach contracted, switching it's build to a much sleeker, if still robust appearance as Ruby slapped her hands over her own mouth, trying not to gag, and Yang simply shuddered in silent disgust.

The herbivore's corpse was covered in sticky digestive fluids and bite wounds, and the 'drome seemed briefly distracted by the presence of easy meat before the alpha Jagras charged. Now much lighter and faster, the Jagras closed the distance in a surprising burst of speed, its mouth closing around the 'drome's midsection to carry it towards the trees. The Jagras fell on the nearly dead Velociprey beta, but as soon as one of them dug into it's throat and began thrashing to finish it off, the rest of the pack sprinted to keep up with their alpha, trusting their abandoned comrade to finish the grisly task.

The Velociprey scattered, several breaking into a full retreat, while others began hawking acidic spit onto the bigger Jagras in an attempt to irritate it out of its charge. It took a lucky shot to the monster's eye to make it stumble and screech in surprised pain, loosening it's bite, for the Velocidrome to get free. The remains of the Velocipack descended on the Great Jagras, leaping onto its back and digging tiny teeth and powerful claws into its scales, making the bigger beast shake and howl in pain, rolling to try and loosen the Velociprey mounting it.

Before the 'drome could close in for a bite to the vulnerable underside of the Jagras' neck, the smaller Jagras suddenly swarmed in, snapping at talons and ankles to drag the 'prey off their leader, and managing to kill four of the raptors with gouging bites to their thin necks. With a powerful thrash of it's entire body, the Great Jagras flung the last remaining Velociprey off and regained its feet, just in time for the Velocidrome to crash into its neck with a furious screech and gnashing teeth.

The Great Jagras stumbled around the perimeter of the battle, its head twisting back to try and catch the 'drome all but clinging to its side, but the big raptor had sunk its teeth into the back of the Jagras' neck to tear at its back and sides with its clawed arms and feet. Black knives dug into yellow scales and pink muscle, and fountains of blood sprang from the yellow monster's back as it bellowed in pain and rising fury. The remaining Velociprey finally lost the last of their nerve, sprinting into the jungle with chittering whimpers. The Jagras hissed and began to circle the two struggling alphas as the Velocidrome heaved and managed to slam it's opponent's face right into a tree, shaking it with the impact.

"Ooh, nice one… I'll put lien on the Velocidrome." Yang murmured, watching with wide eyes, her sister watching in similar fascination by her side.

"I'm with the Jagras, all the way! You can do it, think of the unhatched babies!" The younger sister said with audible worry in her voice.

The Great Jagras couldn't loosen the Velocidrome with a sporadic rodeo ride, but the beast hadn't given up. In a sudden burst of speed, it charged across the clearing like it had been spooked, one of the 'drome's claws loosening from its back from the rapid acceleration, and then the Jagras threw its weight to its front, its back legs kicking upwards, its head rolling under its chest, and its lower half, along with the 'drome, whipped through the air and slammed to the ground.

The huge raptor let loose a loud, pained scream as it was suddenly crushed to the jungle floor in the abrupt, surprising act of acrobatics, and the Great Jagras rolled onto its feet while the 'drome thrashed in pain for a few crucial seconds.

Its back was torn to shreds, a lot of its mane strewn across the jungle floor amidst a shallow lake of blood that was soaking into the dirt, but the Great Jagras just let out a violent, almost dismissive snort as it closed in on the wounded 'drome.

The raptor tried to kick at the other monster's nose, but its leg was caught between the Jagras' teeth, and a loud ' _crunch'_ of the captured leg's bone drew another cry of pain that caused the two watching sisters to flinch. The raptor flailed and screamed and clawed where it could as the Jagras' mouth distended, and filled itself with the raptor. Massive jaws dropped three more times, then heaved upwards to let gravity assist as the Jagras swallowed it's weakly struggling prey alive.

The 'drome disappeared down the Jagras' throat, the iguana's stomach swelling as it caught itself a new, admittedly smaller meal. The raptor's final cry for help was cut short by the Jagras shutting its mouth, letting out a low chuffing sound, then lumbering its way back to its den to rest off its wounds. Its swarming pack chittered and trilled excitedly as they dragged the corpses of the downed Velociprey, and even those of their own number, down the tunnel entrance to their den. In the shadows underneath the tree, the snarling, snapping, and crunching of a feast was heard, the lovely clearing splattered with blood and scarred by the conflict over territory.

It had been a bestial battle; no courtesy, nor honor, it was two forces of nature meeting with the intent to survive. Strength had won out; some monsters were smarter, and won through ambushes, traps, and exploiting their surroundings, and while the Velocidrome had used its exceptional mobility and some clever tricks to gain an early advantage, the simple fact of the matter was that the Great Jagras had been heavier and less frail. The Jagras pack had also proven to have the stronger group bond… the Velociprey had shown more concern for their individual lives than victory as a pack and had mostly not been willing to risk conflict with the Great Jagras, while the smaller Jagras had done all they could to tip the odds in their alpha's favor. The difference in group dynamic was as stark as the difference in sheer power the two competing leaders wielded.

They were big, aggressive, powerful animals, especially compared to humans, even those with Aura, even those with weapons, even those who made it their life's goal to hunt them. The simple fact of the matter was that even the Great Jagras and Velocidrome, two monsters that sat at the lower end of the monster food chain, could make the world around them move with nothing more than bulk and teeth. Their everyday lives were titanic struggles of life and death, an unending series of tests of their fitness, intelligence, and instinctive survival strategies. The powerful, prepared and lucky thrived… the rest were dinner.

It was frightening, humbling, awe-inspiring…

… and so _goddamned_ _neat!_

"—riding the Jagras and sending blood _everywhere!"_ Yang recounted with what sounded like an endless gasp of excitement as Glynda read the entries they had written by the glow of her scoutfly cage while they continued their caravan down the trail.

"But the Jagras was like ' _rawr, no, fuck you!'_ And it did a freagin' _front flip_ to knock it loose!" Ruby bounced by Glynda's side, and the Scout Master hummed thoughtfully to herself.

"I see…"

"Oh, but then the big guy was like ' _get in ma belly!'_ and gobbled it _right up!"_ Yang shimmied in place as Ruby squealed and nodded, using her arms to make exaggerated chomping motions.

"Hmm…" Glynda stroked her chin, ignoring Ruby's reenactment as she read. "I'm not sure having two restops so close together is worth routing out an entire Jagras den, but it's an excellent insight, Yang."

"Thanks Aunt- _Scout Master."_ Yang bobbed her head, earning a pointed look from their leader, but not a scolding.

"As for you, Ruby; excellent sketches as usual, and you have provided some good observations of Velociprey tactics." Glynda nodded, but before Ruby could swell with delight, the Scout Master went on: " _However,_ in the future, please stick to a more formal language in your note taking. ' _Cool'_ is subjective, as is ' _adorable.'"_

"But Bigger J _was_ adorable!" Ruby sighed happily, twirling on her heel and smiling up at the night sky. "He had the prettiest mane I've ever seen on a Great Jagras, and you shoulda _seen_ how big and strong he was! Such thick _legs,_ and a long tail, and those _jaws—"_

Ruby's logbook thumped her on the head, shutting her up. The little huntress pouted, taking her notes and rubbing her head as the Scout Master sighed while Yang hugged her midsection and openly laughed at her sister's reprimand. " _Yes,_ Ruby, I'm sure the Jagras was impressive." Glynda granted her a small smirk. " _Formal language;_ for me, please?" She asked, and Ruby groaned.

" _Yes ma'am…"_ Ruby sulked, and made it a point to kick Yang in the shin as soon as she got a good chance to. Glynda sighed and climbed into the cart to check on their patient, expertly tuning out their endless squabbling as their Aptonoth lumbered its way closer toward their detour and beyond it, home.

* * *

 **AN:** I'm trying to make smaller chapters overall as they get finished with the editing process since I'll be splitting my attention between this story and THE!


	3. Chapter 3

A piercing, birdlike whistle jolted Blake's eyes open.

Pressure on her skull, her body in pain once more, a second whistle made her ears fall flat; a signal?! What was going on? Who were they attacking?! Her mind raced down a list of preparations: where was her weapon? What was her position? Was she acquiring or securing?

It wasn't until she found herself peering into a pair of pretty silver eyes did she recall what had happened, and her heart nearly stopped in her chest as the human's expression went from mild concern to ear-to-ear delight.

"Hi!" The girl said with a pleasantly soft tone of voice, which was ruined with a third, piercing whistle. Then, the silver-eyed girl said quite possibly the most intimidating thing she could have: "Don't be afraid!"

"... wha-?" Blake stared up at Ruby like she was about to feel a knife pushed between her ribs, and then she felt a pair of fingers scritch at her skull, right behind her ears, and a humiliated shudder ran through her. "S-stop that…"

"Oh! Sorry!" Ruby tugged her hand away, and Blake's mind was trying to race out of the muck; she felt stuck, despite how quickly her thoughts were going, no solutions or ideas coming to her, and then the human glanced up curiously as they both heard a voice.

" _Who goes?!"_ A male voice boomed. Blake stared up at the trees around them, and caught sight of a gnarled mass of branches and trunks above them. Sometimes, the enormous trees that filled the jungle bent and bowed towards each other, wrapping around one another to create an enormous, natural structure filled with slender entrances and high-reaching branches. It would give smaller beasts a safe place to stay, humans included…

"Ahem!" She heard through her own thoughts. "I am cadet hunter Yang Xiao Long, speaking on behalf of Scout Master Glynda Goodwitch, with cadet hunter Ruby Rose as well, and one patient."

"One _patient?"_

"A Faunus girl found in the Old Vale river about three days north!" Yang answered at the top of her voice. A moment of silence filled the jungle, and Blake's eyes went from Ruby to the items littering the back of the wagon, trying to find something she could defend herself with. "Look man, we're _tired,_ you don't want me giving my dad a bad review, do you?!"

" _Yang!"_ Glynda hissed audibly, making Blake and Ruby both go stiff at the authoritarian tone. "That is _entirely_ unprofessional!"

"'m tired!" Yang whined, and Ruby giggled as the Scout Master chewed out the younger blonde furiously.

"Wh-where am I?!" Blake asked in a low panic, trying to sit up, but the pulsation of exhaustion that went from her back and down her limbs stopped her; nothing felt right, these humans…! They were the ones from earlier, the ones who had stripped her naked, fed her potions, and… tied her wrists together.

She vaguely remembered one of her legs being completely and utterly fucked beyond usability, but she had to fight back! She wouldn't let herself be given over to _humans,_ she wasn't about to be worked to death in a mine, or worse… or worse used as some concubine. She had to escape her bindings and go back north.

Blake was about to disobey her body's orders to keep still and rest, and try to fling herself into the woods, but she stopped, and her blind panic faltered as she stared at a kebab. Brown chunks of meat and roasted mushrooms and vegetables were skewered by a thin piece of wood, and though it didn't look or smell fresh, her stomach gave a loud snarl in its weakness. Her body hurt, her mind was racing, her stomach was hungry… and food was right in front of her.

"I know it's a bit old, but you haven't eaten at all, so, y'know, better than nothin'; they'll have even better food in the camp." The silver-eyed girl smiled as she held the kebab closer, the tender Aptonoth meat just under Blake's nose, and she sank her teeth in.

Her stomach cried out in delight as she swallowed the meat, and despite her fear, she bit into a mushroom and quickly swallowed it, moving onto the next bite ravenously. She hardly noticed as the short-haired huntress held the back of her head up, or that the jungle around them was _lowering._

While the Aptonoth was guided to a safe pen hidden from hunting predators at the base of the tree, sturdy ropes on a winch raised a wooden platform with the cart, three hunters, and one Faunus up into the dome of leaves above.

Built around the tall, sturdy branches of the twisted mass of trees was a series of wooden platforms that were raised well out of sight and mind for most monsters that inhabited the surrounding woods. The platforms weaved themselves around the thick trunks, while several leftover stumps in their sides showed where branches had been removed to provide more space.

The platforms were highly uniform, and though they creaked and bent in places, not a one looked weathered or rotted. A high-degree of caution needed to be taken in the middle of the jungle, and having a plank that could split apart was dangerous to those who valued their legs. Few things were more valuable than safety in enemy territory.

The busy restop came to a brief halt as the lift reached the top, and the three hunters strode onto more solid ground. Low, excited whispering sprung up as other hunters, scouts, scholars, repairmen, and gatherers stationed there took in the three with expressions of recognition. Yang, enveloped in her strengthening Aura, pulled the wagon as Ruby walked alongside. Glynda headed straight for the restop's leader, while Blake, backed up against the back of the cart so she could sit up with less effort, held the blanket over her bare chest and took in her surroundings.

Over two-dozen humans were all around her, some staring at her, most staring at the three humans that had captured her. Her cat ears flickered towards every whisper, some murmuring about Faunus, making her ears flatten in a far-too-late attempt to hide.

She was feeling surrounded, and woozy… she quietly held onto the barren kebab stick in her bound hands, ready to stick it into the neck of anybody who tried to approach her, but thankfully all attention was taken off her by a booming voice, that erupted from a woman who was… _not_ so booming.

" _Scout Master_ Glynda Goodwitch, we _wel_ come you back to Restree; I trust your _journey_ to Point Tukson went well?" The woman spoke with a grandiose emphasis on seemingly everything. Looking over her shoulder, Blake was hardly intimidated… short, silver-haired, and covered in wrinkles, the woman looked rather officious in her red robes and with two guards flanking her, but not _dangerous._

"As to be expected, Captain. We come bearing samples from around point Tukson, as well as pieces carved from a Nargacuga that was endangering the encampment." The Scout Master stood aside, allowing the short Captain to see Blake, who quickly tried to look elsewhere under the woman's scrutiny. "My cadets picked up a lost Faunus on the way back as well; some quick thinking has, thus far, saved her life."

"I _see."_ The woman strode forward purposefully, accompanied by her guard, and Blake found herself being rather rudely _glared at_ by the midget of a captain, who stood there, unspeaking, leaving Blake trying to count leaves as the human sneered. "Well, _Faunus,_ have you no _manners?_ Won't you meet the _eyes_ of the _generous_ Captain Cordovin, who is, _apparently,_ agreeing to _house you_ tonight?" She asked through clicking teeth, and Blake shivered in place.

She heard a growl from the Cordovin woman, and a sudden ' _snap'_ made her ears flatten. Her panic heightened, and she awaited the inevitable blossom of pain… but when none came, she turned her head back to see what had made the noise. The captain's arm was extended, as if she'd intended to grab Blake in a gloved hand, but her wrist was caught in another girl's: the blonde's.

The teen hunter met the captain's glare fearlessly, her purple eyes unblinking as she kept Blake from being touched, the two guards by Cordovin's sides holding the hilts of their still sheathed swords while looking at each other and the situation uncomfortably.

"Captain, don't harass our guest." The blonde teen spoke in a forced calmness, and Cordovin pulled her hand back with a huff. With a small cough, the silver-eyed girl interrupted the moment by stepping between Cordovin and Blake, and speaking in a calm voice.

"She's had a super hard time, and she's only just woken up, so she's not really open to, like, talk and stuff!" She insisted, and Blake could _feel_ Cordovin bristle through her.

The pregnant pause that bloomed was suffocating for everyone involved, and it seemed as if some sort of stand off would ensure; Blake was sure weapons would be drawn and tensions would heighten, but the captain simply huffed, and turned on her heel. " _Scout Master,_ are you going to let _your rookies_ get away with this _in-_ su- _bordination?!"_ She demanded.

"Considering who they are, they handled things very well." Glynda noted in a dry tone, and she walked forward with much less tension than the rest of them, her presence banishing the stress with nothing more than a simple smack to the blonde teen's head. "Yang, don't be so forceful with a superior." She ordered, and Yang grumbled, though the admonishment went no further. She turned on the silver-eyed girl, and bowed her head. "A fine attempt at conflict resolution, Ruby, though do be sure to note that our passenger can be spoken to at a later date when she is well enough to." Ruby nodded, and Glynda turned her attention to Cordovin.

"I understand your concern, Captain, but this is neither the time nor the place to jump to conclusions, or make rash decision."

" _On the contrary!"_ The captain's voice thundered, somehow larger than the rest of her as she turned towards Blake again, her eyes burning with a recognition that made the girl shiver. "I would say that rash decision is _perfect_ for somebody like _her._ I am sure she is _used_ to the concept of _no trial, no judge, straight to execution!_ Yes, I see you looking at me so frightened!" She pointed to Blake angrily, her nostrils flaring. "A lost Faunus in the _north?_ We have no records of any New Valians matching your description on an expedition, you can _only_ be _one thing!"_ She threw her arms out, as if bearing the weight of the answer took all of her tiny strength, but the power of the strength was weakened by a loud snort.

"What are you _talking about?"_ Yang demanded, moving a step closer to Blake, her brow furrowing tightly. "She was found half-drowned with a leg that'll probably snap in half the moment she puts weight on it! I doubt she could even lift a knife at you, so what's to worry about?"

Cordovin glowered, her nostrils flaring, and the Captain answered with a tone full of dire impliciation. "A _Tribesman_ cannot be _trusted,_ _miss_ Xiao Long. Even the _lowliest_ of Faunus from the _Khan Tribe_ has to be treated like they're _full_ of _poison and gunpowder;_ otherwise, when you let your guard down, they'll have your head _speared_ and put on their _battlements!"_ Cordovin thundered.

"Actually, we stopped doing that." Blake interrupted. The entire encampment seemed to turn to stare at her, and she felt her mouth go dry. She was now in the line of fire, but she refused to let the little Captain have the final word. "It attracted monsters." She continued factually. "Now we just drown humans in the Old Vale bay and call it good."

Cordovin's silent glare was sweeter than the kebab, and the blonde teen, Yang, gave her a small smirk, while Ruby only looked marginally worried about the declaration. Glynda cleared her throat, and crossed her arms with a tired expression on her face. "You may ask us to camp outside, Captain, but I made my decision despite my own suspicions: we will be escorting the girl to Beacon for medical treatment, and to face judgement for any crimes she may have committed. I leave our fate tonight in your hands."

Cordovin worked her jaw thoughtfully, clearly weighing her options, when Ruby stepped forward with one final, parting thought: "She hasn't hurt anyone on our way here; she's just hurt, and lost, and probably scared. I promise she won't hurt anybody."

" _Hmph."_ Cordovin shrugged. "A _peaceful_ Tribesman? _Next_ you'll be telling me _Atlas_ exists. _Very well."_ She turned to fix Ruby and Yang with a sharp expression, her finger in the air. "Though I am _loathe_ to house somebody as reprehensible as _her,_ as long as she remains _immobile_ you may stay the night; it would reflect _poorly_ on Restree to shun the _daughters_ of the Hunt Master."

"Indeed." Glynda nodded to Yang, who took hold of the cart to follow her sister and leader forward. Blake watched it all in quiet disbelief, staring at the two girls and the woman who had defended her.

The smaller girl, Ruby, turned her head back to give Blake a smile, and Blake's ears fell flat.

What in the hell had happened…?

* * *

" _Ow!"_

"Miss, please try and relax."

"I _am_ relaxed, s-stop jabbing it with your— ow _ow ow—"_

Cordovin oversaw the operation with an expression of extraordinary disapproval, while, by her side, Glynda calmly ate a sandwich consisting of an entire steak with a thin layer of greens mashed between two cuts of flat bread, her slow, meticulous chewing not disturbing the Restree captain as two medics stared at Blake's purple and blue knee, using small implements to draw out fragments of bone.

Blake's hands were bound above her to a sturdy metal pole, leaving her at the medics' mercy, her leg sticking out from underneath a white patient's smock. A waste bin nearby was filled with the bloody wrappings that had kept her leg stiff, and the Faunus looked utterly miserable to be held prisoner and under a scalpel.

"Wasting even a _low-grade_ pain killer on _her_ seems like a _misuse_ of _precious Beacon resources."_ Cordovin muttered under her breath. Glynda didn't disagree, but she swallowed a bite and considered the Faunus before her.

"Beacon's ' _In Distress'_ protocol is very clear what we do, no matter who we come across." The Scout Master stated, and Cordovin huffed.

"I am _aware,_ but it feels _wasted_ on somebody who would _no doubt_ not _return_ our hospitality."

Glynda said nothing to defend the Faunus girl, though she at least felt a rudimentary pity for her predicament; even if she was a Tribesman, Glynda was not aware of any of the girl's crimes, and thus couldn't feel any sort of retribution watching her squirm, dulled by the pain medication she'd been given, still able to feel tingles of pain due to their unwillingness to give her something more appropriately suited to the devastation of her injury.

A prisoner, under a blade, even a helpful one, was a pitiful sight. However, it was absolutely necessary; while the medics in Restree were limited in medical supplies, they could at least ensure her leg would last the rest of the trip. Taking out bone shards and other shrapnel, resetting the bone where they could, and splinting and wrapping the leg up with fresh materials. She was quite lucky; without Ruby's chance find, she wouldn't have even awoken.

What made Glynda more nervous about the whole prospect was that she was so young. She only looked to be about Ruby and Yang's age, and even Glynda acknowledged that, beaten down as she was, she was achingly beautiful. Yet, she was lost in the woods, on the verge of death; it could have happened to any of them. One wrong move against the Nargacuga, and its spiked tail could have sent one her cadets sprawling across the jungle in a trail of blood, or sent down a ravine to be splattered against the rocks below, or—

Glynda forced herself to stop thinking such unnecessary thoughts, calmed her heart, and refused to admit that a small sigh of relief escaped her when Ruby and Yang walked into the medical tent holding their meals. Her cadets were perfectly healthy and had provided exemplary support; there was much to be proud of.

"How is she?" Was Ruby's first question when they drew up to Glynda's sides, Cordovin giving them both a quick, disapproving glance before settling her eyes on the surgery happening before them. Ruby and Yang both looked squeamish when they saw what was happening; it was a common thing even the most battle-hardened hunters would find hospitals a source of extreme discomfort, but Glynda had done a good portion of training in emergency care, and little fazed her as a result.

"Her leg is in critical condition; we won't know if it can be saved until Beacon doctors can look at it." The Scout Master explained, taking a bite of her sandwich as the girls worriedly nodded.

"In the _meantime,"_ Cordovin said warningly, her nostrils flaring in distaste, "as her _saviors,_ you two are being held _responsible_ for _her_ actions." The short captain stated, turning to the two surprised girls.

" _Us?"_ Yang asked incredulously, and Cordovin gave a curt nod.

" _You two_ will be _full-fledged huntresses_ in a year, _correct?_ Increased _training_ won't be the _only_ thing that you two will _endure;_ you will _both_ be expected to take on _greater_ and _greater_ responsibilities." She swept a hand over to the miserable looking catgirl, her expression rigid. "You'll be caring for this _patient_ of yours, and anything _she_ does is on _your_ heads."

The two cadets looked up to their senior, the older blonde offering a small nod of agreement as she cast her eyes over them both. "I agreed to this arrangement because I believe that you two are capable of handling this task; it should be a fairly easy one, considering the state our patient, but you can _not_ treat her with the same flippancy you treat your own lives." Glynda's nostrils flared, and the two girls looked at each other.

Cordovin's lips quirked into a small, satisfied smile as the girls took in the implication of their order; having another's life in their hands would no doubt make them more responsible, and if they were properly aware of the dangers the Tribesman presented, then the weight of their new mission would surely fix their attitudes.

"You're…" Yang began with trepidation, "trusting _us_ with this?"

"That _is_ what I said." Glynda confirmed, and the two girls… _squeaked._ Cordovin's expression swiftly turned to annoyance as they barely kept themselves from hopping in delight with their hands full of food.

"Side quest!" Yang yelped.

" _Side quest!"_ Ruby confirmed with a shrill yell, and both _grinned_ up at the Scout Master. "We won't let you down, Auntie!" Ruby's smile disappeared with Glynda's palpably rising ire, and she swallowed thickly and saluted. "We accept this mission, Scout Master Goodwitch!"

"... _You_ are pulling extra shifts when we get back." Glynda grumbled. Ruby immediately wilted, and she put on her most sad face as Yang giggled, up until Glynda shot _her_ a look as well. "See to it that you don't join her, Yang. Now, go eat your dinners, let the medics work."

With a nod, Yang dragged her whimpering sister out of the tent, and Cordovin simply huffed once they were gone, her wrinkled face lined with consternation.

"Those two are _insufferable_ headaches."

"Get used to them." Glynda all but ordered, taking the time to bite into her sandwich and watch Blake once more. "They're due to graduate in a year or two, and then we're stuck with them."

* * *

They could call it medical procedure all they wanted, but it had felt like torture. At the very least she had a pillow and a mattress to lay in, rather than the tough bed of a wagon.

Blake stared up at the ceiling of the tent she had been left in, her mind burning and her thoughts slowed to a crawl. Her hands were still tied, but at least not hanging over her head, while her wounded leg had been splinted, rewrapped, and elevated with another pillow.

She was too tired to try and sit up and do something about her situation, and too wired from having her knee picked through to fall asleep. Her tongue felt dry, her head felt hot, and she was still desperate to escape. Once she started to feel better, she could make a break for it, but she needed a little time and preparation.

Then she could go back home and rejoin her tribe, and expose Adam for what he had done. If that was how he treated a fellow Faunus he was in charge of, then he would be exiled–if not executed–immediately. It was their goal to rescue and uplift the destitute Faunus, not use them as _bait._ It wasn't as if she had a poor standing with her tribe either; they would hear her out, and if she could get the others on the mission to speak up with her, then there _would_ be justice.

Of course, she was putting the cart before the Aptonoth; there was who knew how many miles of jungle between herself and Old Vale, but she had survived this long, and the humans were foolish enough to mend her. Even with her leg as it was she would crawl her way back home; no fearing either monsters or Grimm.

She felt some of the pain in her body abate as her heartbeat increased with a newfound resolve to get her justice, and she felt her fingernails dig into her palms and leave her wincing.

For now, she would rest with her teeth grit. The humans had her in rope, but not chains, and nobody looking over her twenty-four-seven. What was their aim…? If they intended to make a slave of her, they should have beaten and starved her into compliance, like so many of the refugees her people had liberated.

Perhaps they wanted quality over quantity? She knew based on the number of flirtatious eyes and propositions she had received from her tribemates that she was desirable… heal her wounds, make her healthy, make her look presentable and like she was a valuable catch for some lord's harem.

The thought made her squirm; she would have prefered to be worked to death than spend her life with her legs spread for some smug aristocrat in one of the human establishments. Though, truly, she had no plans to do either; she would return home and force Adam to face judgement, and she would go back to helping her people.

Her cat ears flicked towards the tent flap as she heard footsteps, and she shut her eyes to feign unconsciousness as she heard it open. Two sets of feet entered the tent, as did the smell of _food._ Blake tightened her fists to try and force her stomach to resist growling, and she listened to their low whispering.

"She's napping again…" Came a soft, high-pitched girl's voice.

"Think she'd be more awake after a full day of it." A lower, huskier female voice responded.

An irritating scraping noise of wood sliding against wood filled the tent, making Blake's ears press flat against the top of her skull, while her face tightened up in annoyance. Her ear flickered as one of them gasped…

"Her ears!" The higher voice announced, and Blake felt the knot in her belly tighten.

"Wha'?"

"They moved! She's awake! She lying to us!"

"She's a faker?!"

"A total fraud!"

They went uncomfortably silent, but Blake became aware of _something_ hovering over her face, and try as she might resist her own impulsive curiosity, she cracked an eye open just enough to see the two teens that had been escorting the cart hovering over her, _staring_ intently.

"Her eye!" The silver-eyed girl gasped, and Blake's lips tightened in annoyance as she fully opened the one eye.

"Good morning, sunshine! Well, good evening, more like." The blonde beamed, showing all her teeth in an off-puttingly charming smile that made Blake's lips relax.

Blake licked her lips, and despite herself, found that the only response she had in mind could only be conveyed with dry wit: "So… which one of you was gonna kiss me awake?"

The humans' faces turned a rosy red, but the blonde was quick to grab her younger sister's head and push her closer, the younger girl squeaking in distress as she pushed back before she was forced to headbutt their patient. "This one right here! Now's your chance Ruby; make out with the cat girl!"

" _Ohmygod-Yang-you-are-the-worst!"_ Ruby battered her sister's arms and side with her hands, before, to Blake's surprise, bodily tackling the blonde to the floor, knocking aside the chairs they had dragged up to Blake's beside.

Blake blinked; how _old_ were these girls?! She forced herself to sit up on her elbows, wincing as she stared down at the pile of flailing limbs, angry snarling, and mischievous laughter as the two wrestled on the floor. Her eyes widened as she saw their bodies encased in flickers of colored light; Ruby in a hot, nearly blood-red Aura, and Yang in a sunny gold.

Ruby rained fists down on the older girl while wailing angrily, while Yang held her arms over her face, giggled, and reversed their position to push her hands into Ruby's shielded face like an obnoxious older sibling. "Ooooh~, you thought about it!"

"I did _not!"_ Ruby protested, and Yang cackled viciously.

"Aww, does my poor baby sister wanna get it on with an _almost dead chick?"_

"You _suck!"_

As entertaining, and confusing, as their wrestling was, Blake turned her head as she smelled something enticing. A bowl lay on the nightstand by her bed, still steaming, and she could spot brown chunks of Aptonoth meat intermixed with reds and greens laying on top of a bed of noodles, while a tankard of shining, reddish liquid sat near it… her dry mouth suddenly began to water, but it took all of her strength to keep her up as she was…

"Is that for me?" Blake interrupted the fight. Both girls looked up from their vicious handling of one another to the bowl of food they'd brought in.

Yang had helped Blake reposition her body and the support pillow so she could sit up, a few borrowed pillows serving to support her back as she alternated between gulping down berry juice from the cup, to allowing Ruby to fork hot, delicious, _fresh_ food into her mouth, to be quickly chewed and swallowed with only a moment to appreciate the taste.

Ruby sat by her side, feeding her as the cat girl's hands wrestled in their bindings, and Yang had moved her chair to the foot of the bed, where she was reading some large, old looking tome embroidered with hearts on the spine.

The food was good, _great_ even. It had a few sprinklings of spice that made each bite better than the last, and it didn't taste like it had sat in a warehouse for who knew how long. _This_ was human food at its best, Blake had only ever tasted it after its prime. The vegetables were also soft and flavorful, not tough and dry like what the Tribe farms had produced.

When the bowl was empty, and her tankard was dry, she touched her stomach in thought… her body still ached, but her stomach was sated, and a low, satisfied breath escaped her.

"Want some more?" Ruby asked, taking the utensils and bowl with a smile, and Blake considered it for a moment; the food had been good, but so _filling…_ she wouldn't finish a second bowl, as tempting as it was. However…

"Water?" Blake asked, and with a nod, Ruby shot up and out the tent in a bouncing jog that made Blake huff. What an odd human…

Actually, everything about this situation was stranger and stranger; she half-expected the humans to have fondled and felt her, remarking on her stock, or chatting about making some sort of profit off her; these girls, Ruby and Yang, didn't violate her… she didn't trust the adults of the restop, they seemed suspicious, just as they were suspicious of her, but she was in no position to hurt any of them, she only wanted to leave and _go home._

She turned to stare at Yang, a _cadet_ hunter according to the adult blonde. Though she was wearing a plain, long-sleeved tunic and cozy looking knickers, Blake could see the muscle definition in her arms when she rolled her sleeves up and turned a page in the book. She was remarkably pretty, something that confused Blake; wouldn't she have better served her people if she'd stayed home?

Blake mused on the girl's possible reasonings when Yang suddenly closed her book, and looked Blake's way. Their eyes met, pale lavenders and curious golds, and Blake suddenly wished that water would come faster, as her tongue felt dry being stared at so intently by the human.

"My name is Yang Xiao Long." Yang said, and Blake felt confusion cross her mind.

"I kinda picked up on that." The cat girl answered, only to get a roll from the blonde's eyes, making Blake's nostril twitched in agitation.

"Yeah, but now it's _your_ turn."

" _My_ turn?" Blake asked cautiously, and Yang nodded.

"Your name?" Yang sounded impatient, and Blake sighed.

"It's Blake." She answered, and Yang bobbed her head as her attention went back to her book.

"' _Blake,'"_ Yang repeated, "cute name."

"Thanks, I got it for my birthday." Blake said dryly, and that was enough to get her an amused snort from Yang.

"Nice." Was all Yang complimented, and despite herself, Blake felt that it was sincere.

The tent flap opened, and Ruby made her way over to Blake carefully. The Faunus peered up at Ruby as she leaned over the bedridden girl, and Blake held her hands up to briefly block the cup from covering her lips. "My name's Blake." She told the silver-eyed girl, without really understanding where the obligation to introduce herself came from, and Ruby's mouth formed a small ' _o.'_

"Cute!" She said excitedly, making Blake smirk. "I'm Ruby Rose, and that's my sister, Y—"

"— _Yang Xiao Long;_ we introduced ourselves before you came in." Blake interrupted bashfully, taking ahold of the big tankard to relieve Ruby of its burden, and the smaller girl sat down with a pout.

"That's no _fair."_ Ruby huffed, shooting her older sister a pointed look that made the girl shrug and grin.

Blake looked between the sisters, then to Ruby in particular. "Are you adopted?" She asked, making Ruby straighten up in surprise.

"No, why?" Ruby asked as Blake wet her tongue with fresh, cool water.

"Ruby _Rose_ and Yang _Xiao Long."_ Blake emphasized their last names with a curious quirk of her brow, glancing between the two.

"We have different moms." Yang explained, while Ruby nodded.

Blake didn't look less confused. "I thought most humans took their names from their fathers?"

"Normally, yeah, but I wanted to take my mother's name." Ruby stated.

"Alright." Blake shrugged, then gulped thirstily from the cup, feeling relieved by the cool quench that ran down her throat. It was a surprisingly nonchalant talk they were having, it almost felt like, to Blake, like things… _weren't_ a complete mess, and they weren't two entirely separate species. Though, really, it wasn't hard imagining ears on the two humans' heads… it didn't stop her from feeling any less suspicious, and if something was about to happen to her, she felt she had the right to know. "What are you going to do with me?" She asked after setting the tankard in her lap.

"Huh?" Ruby furrowed her brow.

"Watcha mean?" Yang asked, the two staring at her as she sat there, feeling and looking pathetic, knowing full well that, even if she was in her prime, she wasn't anywhere near strong enough to fend off even two rookie hunters with _Aura._

"What's the ' _plan'_ for me?" Blake demanded, more than asked, her chest tightening as she reminded herself exactly what Faunus were used for by humans. "Your people heal my leg and judge me guilty because I'm from the Khan Tribe, what then? Who do I get sold to? Or are you going to _keep_ me?" She asked with increasing accusation in her voice; she could almost picture those simple, innocent expressions twisted with a sense of smug ownership…

The two girls looked to each other in obvious uncertainty, and Ruby shook her head. "We're taking you to Beacon, that's all."

"Yeah, we're not slavers like other settlements." Yang clarified, her jaw hitching to one side in discomfort. "Beacon wouldn't support New Vale if it did; our dad's pretty strict about what he will and won't allow."

"And the former Hunt Master still holds a buncha sway over New Vale territory as the head of research; tons of settlements would lose the support of the research division if they were found with slaves." Ruby added on.

Blake's brow scrunched together… she recalled hearing stories about New Vale being different from other human settlements, that Faunus weren't treated like property, and could even own their own land and shops there. Some Faunus left the tribe with the intent of seeing it for themselves, but none had ever returned; either the rumors were true and it was a city of opportunity for the Faunus, they were enslaved and put to work the moment they arrived, or, more likely, they were killed on the dangerous trek through the beast-infested jungle.

"So, if my leg is saved, I won't be put to work?" Blake asked cautiously.

"I mean, unless you _wanna."_ Yang shrugged.

"I'm not going to be some sort of sex toy?" Her nose wrinkled, and Ruby made a disgusted noise.

" _No!_ Jeez, what did they have you do where _you're_ from?" She asked in distaste, and Blake opened her mouth to answer with sarcasm, then calmed herself.

"Nothing." Blake grunted.

"They didn't have you killing humans?" Yang asked the obvious question in an almost sarcastic way, but her eyes were firm on Blake. The Faunus flinched, and Ruby looked as though she was about to reprimand her sister, but she stopped herself to join in curiously staring at their guest.

The cat-eared girl lowered her eyes to the rope around her hands, and she formed a pair of tight fists, which she released before her fingernails bit into her flesh. "I… never killed anybody who didn't deserve it." She looked up, and Yang made a move to argue, but Blake quickly went on. "Deserved it even by _your_ standards."

Yang frowned, as did Ruby. "You act like you understand human standards, Blake." Yang spoke in a soft, warning tone, and Blake turned her head away.

"I've killed four, alright?" Blake worked her fingers nervously. "A forager that was trying to brain me when we came across the same herbal patch, and three kelbi hunters who found me while I was out scouting. They put me in ropes _too."_ She turned her eyes on the two girls, her expression one of angered stone. "I escaped the ropes when they were stripping me down; idiots had their armor off and didn't expect me to steal a knife. The woman among them didn't even care what they were about to do to me, said it didn't ' _count'_ because I was a Faunus; they threw out their morals the moment they saw my ears."

The two girls looked perplexed. Blake had been honest; she never liked getting her hands dirty, never liked the feel, the smell, or the sight of blood; she was comfortable causing chaos and stealing as long as she wasn't the one cutting people up… but that didn't mean she was going to roll over if they happened upon her with ill-intentions. Maybe she would have let the forager get away if they had both harvested in peace, maybe her three captors would still be alive if they'd only had an awkward stand off and separation… but the four humans she ran into on her lonesome had either wanted her dead or defiled, and even if it made her feel squeamish and… _lesser_ for having taken a life, it had to be done.

It was a matter of survival, kill or be killed, and Blake was no martyr.

"Well…" Yang spoke with a careful tone of voice, not meeting Blake's eye. "That won't happen in New Vale."

"Really?" Blake, again, demanded in a harsh tone. "It won't? There's not _one_ man or woman in New Vale who would look at the ears on my head and decide I'm theirs to do with?" Her breathing grew more labored, the ache in her body swelling as she grew tense and angry. "Not a _one?"_

"Not one we care about enough to not _immediately_ beat to a pulp and throw into jail." Ruby said tentatively.

"And you two will _always_ be around to make sure other humans aren't trying to hurt me?" Blake snapped, and to her annoyed surprise, they both nodded.

"Auntie Glynda said you were our responsibility." Ruby said with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, we're supposed to keep you safe and outta trouble." Yang added on.

Blake only looked _further_ agitated, and she couldn't keep it out of her voice. "Oh, and _are you?_ Hovering around me all day, making sure I don't do anything _stupid?_ Making sure I don't get _hurt?"_

"Yeah." Both the sisters said in honest discomfort, and Blake scowled.

"Why do you _care?"_

At that, both sisters looked to each other again, and Ruby answered in a quiet voice. "Well, 'cuz we do."

"I mean, we found you practically dead." Yang shrugged. "You haven't tried to hurt us or anything, and even if you killed people… I mean, if anybody tried attacking me like they attacked you—"

" _Dead."_ Ruby finished.

" _Super_ dead; that's not even getting into what our dad would do to 'em."

"But I'm a _Faunus;_ a _Khan Tribesman."_ Blake angrily reminded them. "You heard what the short lady said, I have to be treated like I'm full of poison and _gunpowder_ since I'll kill you otherwise."

"You can try." Yang said with an amused smirk, and Blake felt her jaw tighten, her anger rise, and then…it bottomed out. She was too frustrated, too tired, and too confused to properly latch onto one issue to get angry about.

Her expression fell, and slowly, awkwardly, she began to adjust herself to lay down once more, Ruby quickly moving to help her. "I'm going to sleep." Blake stated tersely. With a sigh, a roll of her eyes, and finally, a shrug indicating she was giving up, Yang simply nodded her head and stood.

"Fine, you do you." The blonde looked over to Ruby with a small nod. "I'll go turn in too. Keep an eye on her, and come wake me up when you need to sleep."

"Okay." Ruby nodded, and yelped as she caught the book Yang was reading. "Gee, _thanks."_

"No prob, sis." Yang grinned, and the two sisters shot each other obnoxious little looks before the blonde left, leaving Ruby to awkwardly settle into her chair to read as Blake closed her eyes and listened to the activity outside, until, eventually, she fell asleep.

* * *

Restree's early morning hours were activity-filled; caravans were being prepared down below, food was being prepared up top, and hunters and gatherers were lining up for breakfast before heading into the jungle for their daily assignments.

Early morning was when most of the jungle beasts were active, so it was the best time to gather data, and following hunters into the woods meant a higher chance of survival for the less combat-inclined.

Cordovin stood atop a platform overlooking the main encampment, letting her watch her busy bees buzz about in their preparation. She sipped from a tin mug, hot tea washing down her throat.

Restree had started as little more than a twinkle in a scout's eye, a raised platform amidst a twisted treeline under the cover of an arboreal canopy. It was smack dab in the middle of multiple interlinking monsters' territories, of which were spread so wide that the safe zones on the map were a vast stretch apart. A perfectly possible trip for a small group moving at a marching clip, but an entire caravan of frontier hopefuls–such as Tukson's encampment–would find themselves attracting plenty of disastrous attention due to the noise they would inevitably make, and there would be little reprieve unless they strolled all day and night.

The treeborne restop was such a place of reprieve, somewhere the weary travellers who couldn't make the full trip could look forward to enjoying the basic necessities of civilization in an otherwise inhospitable spot. Cordovin had been tasked with keeping it safe, secure, and well supplied.

Being assigned away from New Vale wasn't a dishonor; it meant you were trusted to carry out orders and maintain peace well and far away from central command. Cordovin took her job at Restree deathly seriously, as it meant the safety of the people both under her direct command, and the ones coming through to and from Beacon.

Flaring emotions, criminals in transit, insubordinate rookies, they were all catalysts for a potential disaster, and while she respected Scout Master Goodwitch, she loathed the baggage she'd brought with her.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched a particular figure emerge from their guest tents. Speak of the devil, the Scout Master was a highly recognizable figure who walked towards the first group of people she saw, and with little more than her appearance, she drew ecstatic greetings and requests for handshakes.

Even as Goodwitch acquiesced, she was showing an uncharacteristic demandingness in whatever she was asking. Heads tilted, shoulders shrugged, and fingers pointed towards other people, and the Scout Master quickly went to whomever she was pointed to for whatever she was asking.

She met much of the same reverence and open awe from the next two people she asked, making Cordovin's nostril twitch; _Goodwitch_ wasn't the one protecting them all, yet they gave her such open warmth, while Cordovin rarely got more than a neutral salute!

Having seemingly gotten an answer, Goodwitch quickly jogged to the medical tent they were keeping their captive, looking in quite the hurry.

Surely her flitting about the restop had to do with the Hunt Master's troublemaking daughters… the pair may have had the skill to hunt, but they were hardly _disciplined._ Their chaotic nature would have been disallowed if the old Hunt Master was still in charge, that was for sure!

She grabbed her staff–a knotted up length of wood with an orb of lightning Dust grasped in carved talons–and swiftly made her way down to the medical tent, ready to lend her experience and discipline to the dressing down of troublemakers.

The Restree crowd quickly separated to give the agitated Captain her space when she strutted her way towards where they were keeping the Faunus, the tap of her staff leading the way as she walked through the open entry flap to see how the Scout Master was handling her cadets.

"—at least have left me some notice where you two were; I was left with two empty bedrolls by my side and all the assumptions in the _world."_ Glynda audibly sighed, sounding relieved as she stood before Ruby and Yang. Both girls were seated around the cot where the Tribesman laid with her eyes opened, clearly at attention.

"Sorry Auntie." Both girls recited at once, only for their mentor to stiffen sharply. "Sorry _Scout Master!"_ They corrected themselves at once, and the woman relaxed.

Yang piped up, looking over at Blake. "She was struggling in her sleep, so Ruby came and got me so something bad wouldn't happen to her." Glynda and Cordovin both looked over at Blake, who seemed quietly agitated, and refused to meet the taller blonde's eye.

"And you are well now, miss?" Glynda asked, and the Faunus huffed.

"None of your business." Blake responded in a grunt.

"Of course not." The Scout Master shook her head, but a loud ' _tap'_ made them all look up as Cordovin strode inside with a small sneer on her lips, her eyes focused on the cat-eared girl.

"Is _that_ the tone you wish to _take_ with your _saviors?"_ The short, older woman demanded, and Blake refused to meet her eye. Ruby and Yang both immediately tensed up as the captain strolled to the bedside, looking on distastefully. " _Well?!_ Remaining _mum,_ Tribesman?" The Faunus simply looked agitated, and turned away like a bemused child. "What _guilt_ and _shame_ you must be feeling being _rescued_ by _humans."_

"Her name is _Blake."_ Came a sharp rebuke. Cordovin and Glynda both whirled to see Yang standing up, arms crossed over her chest as she gave the captain a small glare. "You don't have to go making her feel _worse."_

" _Don't I,_ Xiao Long? After who knows _what_ trouble she's put _other_ Valians through?" Cordovin snapped, and Yang visibly held herself back from saying something disrespectful. "Were the _situation_ turned around, and it was _her_ standing over _you,_ she would not _hesitate_ to _smother you_ in your sleep, assuming she doesn't _torture_ you first."

Ruby and Yang both glared, but Glynda silently turned her attention to the Faunus in the bed. ' _Blake,'_ Yang had said? So they'd traded names; not that it meant much in the grand scheme of things, but one's identity was significant, and sharing it could be considered somewhat intimate. There was a greater depth in knowing another's name, and no doubt, the girls had managed to… _humanize_ Blake by treating her as a person.

Blake didn't counter Cordovin's response, which may have been a worrying answer in and of itself… but judging by the bratty way she crossed her arms and glared at the wall, she may have simply been saving herself the indignity of getting pulled into an argument.

"Why do you have to be so mean?!" Ruby demanded angrily, looking over to Blake with a look of unshaken compassion. "She hasn't done anything bad yet! She could be a super great person who just needs our help and trust before she blooms like a pretty flower into our next best friend!"

" _Spare me_ the _bleeding heart sentiments, girl._ _You two_ are simply _too much_ like your _father."_ Cordovin growled as the two girls levelled a more personal glare on her, Glynda tensing at the mention of Taiyang. "Your _adoration_ for deadly beasts should have been _tempered_ long before you got to this point!" Her staff clicked as she strode forward, barely reaching Yang's stomach, but still staring up at her with a fiery expression. "If _Sir Ozpin_ hadn't left his _position—_ no, if he had given the position of _Hunt Master_ to somebody more _deserving,_ you two wouldn't have ever _seen_ the jungle floor with your _attitudes!_ General Ironwood wouldn't allow such _insubordination_ to _leave Beacon!_ Yet, _here you are,_ endangering _me_ and _my camp_ because of _nothing more_ than _blatant nepotism!_ You two are _destined_ for failure, and history _will_ remember you as _nothing more_ than foolhardy _corpses!"_

It was a _damning_ statement that left Blake honestly offended on both girls' behalf, not the least of which was because she more than likely would have died without them. She could only imagine the sort of weight she was putting on them both by raising suspicions, but she didn't put much stock into _Cordovin's_ predictions… still, she turned to see how _they_ would handle it.

The silence that surrounded the humans was somehow more frightening than the rising tide of emotions and aggression. Blake found herself staring in growing apprehension as the Scout Master, without so much as a flicker of Aura, or even touching her weapon, somehow conveyed sheer hostility through her body language alone, and neither Ruby nor Yang _dared_ draw her attention to themselves by speaking.

Even Cordovin looked taken aback by the sudden shift in the Scout Master's normally placid demeanor, her staff raised in a readiness to counterattack as Glynda's hidden eyes stared down at the camp's captain. The tall woman's fingers uncurled from tightened fists, and Blake could almost hear her knuckles cracking from the stiff movements, and she suddenly felt… _small._

A horde of Beowolves had been frightening, a Rathian bearing over her with its wings spread and mouth full of flame had made Blake resign herself to the grave… she had never felt so utterly insignificant and beyond hopeless as she did staring at the back of the Scout Master's silent, cold fury.

"Captain Cordovin." Glynda said in a calmness that could have swallowed the screams of the jungle's beasts. "I am unsure of how you handle your subordinates here at Restree, but I feel that you are overstepping your boundaries in reprimanding _my_ cadets."

"G- _Glynda,_ they are endangering _themselves, you, me, our people_ by—"

" _I_ am endangering us." Glynda's quiet interruption made Cordovin fumble to continue. " _I_ have made the call to rescue Blake, to carry her here, and take her to Beacon. Hunt Master Xiao Long has had no say in this decision, General Ironwood is unaware of my decision, and the both of them, as well as Sir Ozpin, will learn of _my_ decision when I return home and present them my report."

" _Your rookies_ have _argued_ with _me,_ questioned _my_ decisions—"

"Decisions and demands you have made out of a sense of unnecessary revenge." The Scout Master corrected cooly, leaving Cordovin sputtering. "All of this talk about discipline and the only person I have seen who deserves to be humbled is _you,_ Captain." Glynda reached up to adjust the arm of her glasses as Cordovin paled, and both the young hunters-to-be gave a low, satisfied ' _ooooooh!'_ "Minor bumps aside, they have followed my instructions _to the letter._ You have, thus far, aggressively assumed the intentions of somebody who has shown no hostility to any of us, and created fantastical theories on the worthiness and fates of two of _my best students."_ The statement's finality was accompanied by a rise in the woman's voice that, briefly, seemed to drown out any will to argue.

" _They—"_

" _They_ are the at top of their class for a reason, do _not_ forget that." With the little old woman rebuked into stunned silence, Ruby and Yang both snickered to themselves and drew themselves up in confident postures, both looking up to Glynda proudly as the Scout Master went on: "Captain, we will be leaving immediately." She stated tersely. "The sooner the better, please." She turned to her two cadets with small swivels of her head, "Ruby, Yang, go get us breakfast; we'll eat on the road."

Cordovin seemed ready to argue further, but a sharp look from Glynda forced her into silence once more, and sent the captain storming out the tent in an impotent rage. Yang looked up to her mentor with an expression of awe before she sprinted out to go get food, and Ruby sidled up to Glynda's side for a quick, affectionate hug. The older woman's fingers travelled up to Ruby's scalp to offer a quietly proud scritch, then pushed Ruby to the exit.

"Food, Rose. Make sure there's enough for the four of us." Glynda ordered, and Ruby left with a happy squeak.

Blake refused to speak a word as she stared up at the terrifying figure of the Scout Master, whose gentle words had turned the medical tent into a freezer. She was in the presence of somebody bearing greatness, that much was clear; this Glynda woman had used such authority for the good of her cadets and Blake, but the Faunus girl could only wonder how long she would be under such protection, and when the full force of that cold anger would be turned on her.

She flinched when she found herself under the Scout Master's imposing stare, and she drew the blanket up to her neck in unspoken fright. The blonde knelt over her, and Blake found herself face to face with this dangerous woman, and she spoke in a very clear, quiet voice: "If you prove Captain Cordovin right by bringing harm to me, Beacon, or either of my cadets, I will not hesitate in having you _destroyed._ Am I understood?" The question was met with a rapid nod, and Glynda stood up straight. "I'm glad. I will secure the cart; stay still, call if you need help, and I will be back to load you up."

The dangerous huntress left the tent with a chilling ease to her walk, and Blake finally caught her breath.

* * *

"I am _so_ glad we don't have to deal with Cordo all the time." Yang declared, walking with an exaggerated march to her steps to work off her aggressive adrenaline, something that her little sister matched in that way little siblings liked to do.

"Yeah, she was a _huge_ jerk. I am _not_ a corpse!" Ruby showed no remorse for the rudeness of their rapid leave, and Yang's stern nod of agreement matched their march.

Glynda, however, kept a cool attitude as she walked alongside the Aptonoth, her voice a much more gentle chime to the two girls' annoyance. "As long as you two are taking passage to the north, you will have to learn to tolerate Captain Cordovin. Restree is a valuable resource for travelling hunters, and I recommend the two of you let go of any bad blood."

Both girls looked peeved by the idea, Yang especially. "Maybe if _she_ can."

"Captain Cordovin is a professional, despite the illicit attitude she displayed today. Provided you two remain compliant to the basic laws of Beacon and Restree, she will, at the very least, pretend all is well."

Blake was inclined to argue with that point, having known plenty of people who hung onto petty grudges like it was the only thing that could sustain them, but she kept her mouth shut. Talking complicated things, and revealing more about herself was a dangerous gamble...

She was in the back of the wagon once more–the very same she had woken up in before they ascended into that Cordovin woman's restop–wearing some cheap linen clothes, with one pant leg cut off to not restrict the bandages around her leg. An itchy blanket laid on top of her, and her hands were still tied together.

Her ears flickered around atop her head, taking in Yang's dissatisfaction with the idea of returning, Ruby's reassurance that they could camp out without having to put up with Restree's captain, and the Scout Master's admonishment for their narrow-mindedness.

They certainly weren't a somber group; they laughed, they argued, they constantly had to stop mid-conversation because either Ruby or Yang nearly called Glynda ' _Auntie,'_ and despite the older woman's reticence, she neither snapped nor sneered at the girls' foolishness unless it threatened the relationship of pupil and mentor.

The walk towards New Vale was, thus far, a pleasant one, though Blake felt restless. She wanted to pick herself up and escape to _her_ home, and the further they travelled, the further home was, but she would be patient. In the meantime, she got to rest and evaluate things after that harrowing night… how long ago? Three days, the Scout Master had said?

She found her fists tightening as she recalled the masked faces of her allies leaving her behind, sacrificing her to the Grimm so they could make their escape. She recalled the feeling of horror as her leg exploded into pain when Adam had decided she was too much baggage… she didn't have the kindness in her to forgive him, she could only _loathe_ him for what he had done.

Her frustration only grew as she stared at her own, weakened body, her nostrils flaring… she couldn't fight Adam, much less stare him in the eye like this, and that angered her even more. She sucked in her lips, and nearly jumped as something was pushed in front of her face.

It was a large, round, flesh-colored fruit, with two big green leaves jutting from its ripped stem. She glanced up the arm holding it, and found herself staring into Ruby's curious eyes, while she chewed what was obviously a large chunk of another, similar fruit.

"Ish good!" Ruby assured her, a droplet splattering Blake's face, the cat-eared girl wincing in disgust. "Shorry!" Ruby yelped, her other hand reaching out to awkwardly swipe away the errant drop of juice, and Blake rolled her eyes. She did, however, take the fruit, sniffed its sweet scent, and dug her teeth in.

The fruit was tough, a tad more bitter than its pale color suggested, and full of seeds. Blake's brow tightened at the unexpected nuggets of resistance, and took note that Ruby's fruit was the same way, and she just chewed right through. With a small hum of determination, Blake began to do the same, ignoring the crunch and swallowing the fruity mass with a grunt.

"I heard that if you eat the seeds of a fruit, a tree will grow out your mouth." Blake mumbled, and Ruby stared down at her piece of fruit thoughtfully before biting into it.

"M'dad saysh tha' eatin' sheedsh givesh you _youfth."_ Ruby chewed gratefully, and Yang leaned over the other side of the cart, her own fruit in hand.

"Dad also says that talking while eating and walking will kill you faster than a pissy Diablos." She grinned at Ruby, who simply sneered at her as she chewed. Yang walked casually alongside the cart, her hunting horn resting across her back and being carried along like it weighed no more than a pillow. "So… what's Old Vale like?" Yang asked, looking at Blake curiously.

The cat girl looked over at the huntress, thinking for a moment; she wasn't about to play their game and say more than she should have. Instead, she ate and rest a hand on her wounded leg, more relaxed now that it had rested and healed.

"The old world books made it out to be this _huge_ city." Yang mentioned casually, with Ruby nodding.

"With a buncha buildings that looked all, like… _square,_ and made of rocks and stuff." Ruby added on. "And roads made of, like, a black rock? ' _Assbutt,'_ or something like that?"

"' _Asphalt,'_ twerp."

Blake stayed quiet, eating her fruit, focusing on her legs rather than either of the girls. That clearly didn't settle well with Yang, who watched her impatiently, her lips pursing in thought.

"Okay, so…" The blonde tried to continue. "What's the Khan Tribe like?"

"Is it big?" Ruby asked.

"I mean, we've _heard_ stuff. Human hating Faunus, raiding places, taking food and technology…" Yang's voice dragged out, and Blake's cheek twitched. "... Rescuing enslaved Faunus." Blake took another bite. "Everyone makes them out to be these dead-silent assassins who can turn a settlement over in a single night, and not leave a single trace."

"Uncle Qrow said that Sienna Khan is, like, this super pretty, but super scary lady."

"' _The Scourge of Humankind,'_ the most ruthless tyrant in Vale."

Blake grunted, feeling a twinge of anger at their disrespect.

"Respect her or fear her, preferably both!"

"Follow her orders or she'll have you flayed alive."

"Whisper her name in the night, and you'll get an arrow through the eye!"

"Get lost in the woods and her tribe will sweep you up, and deliver your head to the city via spear."

"Challenge her rule and she'll have you whipped until your skin falls off!"

"Disobey her orders and she'll bury you alive on the beach before high tide."

Blake's agitation grew with every little rumor and gossip they spoke, until finally she snapped: "She's not _like that!"_ She spat angrily, glaring at the two of them until they both backed off, properly cowed.

"What's got you so worked up?" Yang asked as she watched Blake closely.

"Don't act like neither of you would be pissed if I started talking about how your precious Hunt Master was a torturer and a murderer!" Blake growled, and Ruby and Yang both glanced at each other… but it was _Glynda's_ snorting laughter that caught Blake off guard.

"We're his _daughters."_ Ruby reminded the girl, who only looked annoyed and _confused._ "We've had tons of people telling us why they think he's bad."

"Yeah, we've had, like, politicians and stuff come up and try and tell us that he's actually trying to get us all killed."

"With a straight face and stuff, too."

Blake wasn't buying it, and remained angry. "What, so you don't get mad when you're told that stuff?!"

"I mean, we _do,_ but it's just a bunch of stupid rumors." Yang snorted, rolling her eyes. "We know our dad works hard to keep everyone safe and happy."

"We try to tell those people off and make 'em go away; you don't just turn family against one another." Ruby bobbed her head.

Blake's anger swiftly overtook her, and with a growl, demanded: "So you think I'm overreacting hearing you do the same thing?!"

"Well—…" Ruby trailed off, her lips pursing in thought, and a quick glance over to Yang all but confirmed that her sister was thinking on the same wavelength. "... Is Sienna Khan your _mom?"_

The question froze Blake's very blood, and her anger evaporated in a quick wave of shock and fright as the sisters watched her ears go stiff, her eyes widen, and she stared down at her lap, trying to keep a neutral expression despite her obvious tenseness.

Behind her, walking alongside their beast of burden, she could only imagine what the Scout Master was thinking, and she very swiftly shook her head. "N-no, that's not what I was trying to say at _all."_

"Is she a cool mom?" Ruby asked, leaning over to try and catch Blake's eye. "My mom's cool, but she's been in Mistral for, like, the last decade."

"And my mom's a cunt." Yang spoke with a hostile assurance, but Blake was too busy trying to be inconspicuous amidst the two's scrutiny. "Ruby's mom did a better job raising me than _Raven_ did, but she was also the best choice to stick her foot in the door and try and take back Animus."

"So we're stuck with Ms. Branwen at Beacon." Ruby pouted, and Yang grunted.

" _Stuck with?_ She's barely around; more like I have to get reminded I was an _accident_ every time I see her walk by. If anything, she could be a little _more_ sticky."

"Yeah, but then you're being told ' _you're not good enough, kid'_ more often."

"And then I can tell her to go _fuck herself_ more often." Yang bit, and Ruby giggled, the sound seeming to ease Yang's nerves. "At least your mom writes us both."

"And dad's a good dad." Ruby nodded, while Blake stared down at her knees.

They seemed to have moved on from _her_ mother, which was a relief… but they still knew. They, and no doubt the Scout Master had picked up on it.

Damnit…

* * *

A full day's travel behind them, Blake found herself tightening up all over as Yang very delicately lifted her out of the cart. A human putting her grimy hands all over her… if it was anybody but one of the sisters, Blake would have fought the attempt, but for now she simply memorized every place those hands went in case she needed to calculate exactly how much revenge she'd take if they met again in the future.

Thankfully, Yang only earned herself a future glare and dismissive sniff, as she was as gentle as a lamb, and polite as could be as she carried Blake over to the campsite.

It was nightfall again, with the caravan having crossed a considerable distance on the long road to Beacon. A lot of it had been boring travel filled with talk, stops for potty breaks and snacking, gathering on the go, and a large amount of Blake sitting or laying down contemplating her navel, planning out how she'd get back home.

Ruby and Yang had spent a large amount of time excitedly planning what they'd do back in New Vale, talking about fishing, food, catching up with friends, playing sports… they were just a pair of _girls,_ and it made Blake wonder how anybody or anything could take them seriously as hunters when they were busy talking about going Mernos sailing.

The Scout Master, on the other hand, rarely chimed in, spending most of their travel in dead silence, only opening her mouth to offer advice or correct a mistake. There had been a brief, surprising moment where she'd suddenly tore off into the woods, howling in the process, and something large and obviously cowardly lumbered off to leave them well enough alone.

Now they sat at the edge of a lake, in the deep, midnight shadow of a mountain. Up at the top of the looming peak was a visible light, a single fire that burned brightly and reached high in the night sky, a… _beacon_ for those looking for respite, or in the case of the band of hunters Blake had been picked up by, a signal that they were close to home.

Blake was carefully set on a flat boulder that was embedded in the loose sand surrounding the lake, and Yang was delicate as she picked up Blake's broken leg and rest it on top of a blanket bunched up on a crate to provide her with support. She stretched back, and winced as her rump took a moment to remind her that she'd been on her coattails all day.

She wanted to walk, to swim, to go sprinting, anything more than be bound up any further… she took a deep, calming breath, and reminded herself she had to be patient. Her wrists were also getting sore from being tied up the whole way, but none of them went out of their way to tighten her bindings or make her more uncomfortable, so Blake suffered in silence for the time being.

Two tents had been erected on sturdier ground, obviously where they would stay the night, and the Aptonoth was breathing loud, content breaths next to the water, already asleep after such a long day of travel. Ruby sat with her butt in the sand, talking animatedly with the Scout Master as the woman stirred a pot that smelled heavily of mixed meats. They were definitely different than what Blake was used to… she distinctly recalled that, even on celebratory nights with her fellow Tribesmen, there was always a sense that they weren't done yet, or that danger was still looming around them.

It didn't help that getting into Old Vale could be just as dangerous, if not more so, as travelling away from it; Ruby had been right, there were box-like buildings of the old world, but even with their firm structure and foundation, they were brief obstacles for a truly hungry predator that had spotted a couple of snack-sized Faunus trying to stick to the shadows.

She only ever truly felt safe when she was underground with the rest of the tribe; the above ground was too dangerous, and camping was always a risk… but these hunters had marked places of safety, and never seemed terribly bothered by being out in the wilderness, despite the obvious danger.

It was a terribly relaxing attitude to be around, as Blake found herself watching the lake's surface and counting the brightly glowing stars above. Remnant's shattered moon was behind the mountain, blocked from sight, but Blake knew its brilliant, pale face would be looming over them soon, and she quietly looked forward to a meal and some rest…

Her ears perked as she heard footsteps through the sand, and Yang settled down right next to her, handing her a puffy bread roll and an extra fruit that had packed. Blake eyed the girl suspiciously, but dug in, savoring the bread's texture and feel as she chewed, before accompanying it with a bite of the seedy fruit.

"Got a guy back home waiting for you?" Yang asked out of the blue, and Blake stopped herself from choking in surprise with a moment of concentration and a small glare. She missed Ruby turning her head to face them curiously, and kept eating, ignoring Yang's question. "How 'bout a girl?" Yang persisted, and Blake, once again, denied her an answer. "You are a tough nut to crack, y'know that?" Blake simply huffed in amusement, and Yang stretched her legs and back out as she spoke through the strain. "It's hard ta find somebody who can keep up with me, y'know? Aside from Ruby, but she's my sister, so that ain't right." Yang crossed her arms over her head, stretching left, then right with a little grin.

The blonde hunter glanced over to her little sister, who perked up at being noticed, and Yang leaned over to Blake with a devious grin the Faunus didn't like. "She's a virgin, y'know." Yang stated with a toothy grin of pure mischief, and Ruby sat straight up, her expression quickly turning to horror. Blake stopped eating to give Yang a quizzical look. "Trust me, she's a _terrible_ liar, if she'd done the do, _I'd_ know." Yang stretched her arms straight up, snickering. "It's _super_ sad, but she _does_ have to compare to me."

Blake swallowed loudly, glanced between the two sisters, and finally spoke. "Three… two…"

"Eh?" Yang looked over at Blake in confusion. "Tryin'a remember your dirty deeds? 'Cuz—"

"One…"

Blake felt a moment of retribution for Ruby as the younger sister slammed into Yang like a missile, causing a cacophony of shouting, fists flying, happy cackling, and angry squealing. Blake glanced over her shoulder briefly to see the two beating one another up in the wet sand, their Aura sparkling, and then she went back to eating.

As she gulped down the last of the roll she'd been given, Glynda walked over, casting a bemused look at her two charges before setting two bottles of liquid down by Blake's side. "These will be for your leg, miss." Glynda supplied, straightening up with a thumb-sized rock between two of her fingers. "You can expect these nightly, my apologies if they don't sit well with you."

Blake looked up at the Scout Master for a moment, tightening her lips like it would accomplish anything… but ultimately, she sighed, and spoke. "I've had my fair share of nutrient drinks and potions." She assured the woman, popping the cork of the yellow drink, and suppressing the urge to gag at the taste of bitterbug.

Glynda loaded up her slinger with the rock, and kept her eyes on Blake as she pointed her arm towards the brawl. "Not the most reassuring statement, but it makes things easier. How does your leg feel?"

 _Swish._

" _Ow!_ My freakin' _ass!_ Goddamnit Auntie—"

" _Scout Master."_ The stern correction was answered with a pained whimper, and Yang's agony was ended by a quick haymaker that threw the blonde off her little sister. "And the two of you need to stop horsing around; we're about ready to eat." At that, the two siblings reluctantly split apart, shooting each other amused glares as Glynda refocused on Blake.

"Fine." Blake answered, looking over her leg with a somewhat worried expression. "Tingles and hurts every now and then, but…"

"Could be worse?" Glynda offered, and Blake nodded slowly.

Blake watched the two girls march around the boulder to go check on the pot of food, only for another small fight to break out when Ruby slugged her sister's upper arm, obviously still embarrassed by her earlier declaration. Blake and Glynda both watched the two smack at one another with tired expressions, and Blake simply had to ask: "How do you put up with them?"

"With an open palm and threats of poop." The Scout Master answered dryly, and Blake actually gave a small laugh at that. "They're _much_ better than this, I assure you."

"I was there when you told the short woman as much." Blake quirked an eyebrow, and Glynda nodded. Their eyes met, and though the woman before her was an intimidating powerhouse of authority, Blake didn't feel endangered anymore; if anything, it was like she was talking to the long-suffering mother of a pair of delinquents. "What are my chances of being hanged?" She decided to ask, making Glynda blink in surprise.

"Next to zero, considering we've brought along little to no evidence of your involvement of a human massacre, nor tried to kill or trouble us in any way." The Scout Master stated, and Blake slowly nodded.

"Even if I'm a Tribesman?" She asked, and the woman shook her head.

"You are suspicious, but I've measured my odds and don't feel threatened. Until you've been judged and your leg has been either healed or replaced, you are our patient, and I'll not treat you otherwise based on piss-poor assumptions."

Blake turned to look at the girls as, momentarily, their fight was interrupted so they could start filling bowls with food and bring them over to eat. They were silent other than their ravenous eating, though Blake picked through her food slowly. She didn't have a hunter's appetite, and their snacking throughout the day had left her already feeling something full.

Still, the stew was tasty, the bread was nice, and Blake didn't have to go hunting for any of it herself, so it was a win-win scenario.

After food, the group sat down to digest and chat. The Scout Master was telling her two cadets about the good and the bad she'd seen in them that day while Blake found herself a nice, long, sturdy branch washed up behind the boulder. It was a tad wet, but it was a good stick, and it let her trace figures into the ground as they talked.

Just one more day and the three of them would be home, while Blake had a long road ahead of her.

"We don't have too much further to go, but I'd like everyone to be well-rested tomorrow morning; though unlikely, we may cross paths with danger and I'd like for everyone to get to Beacon in one piece." Glynda announced, pointing to the tents. "Everyone get to bed." She ordered.

The fire was put out, supplies were put away and tightly wrapped, and with a smile, Ruby sprinted over to Blake's side. The catgirl tightened her lips as Ruby lifted her with the same ease Yang had, carrying her towards one of the tents. Blake had an arm around Ruby's shoulders, and was once again cataloguing Ruby's hands, and again found herself annoyed at Ruby's graciousness in not groping her where she could.

It would have been easier to hate these people if they acted like other humans, but _no,_ they were… _nice._

She was set on top of a raised, rickety little cot, next to a sleeping bag on the ground; these people weren't half-assing her health, which was something Blake found herself appreciating with her leg remaining relatively painless. Ruby was kind enough to let her keep her stick, and toss it under her cot as well.

"Time to change your bandages!" Ruby announced, and Blake winced.

Ruby and Glynda both hovered over her as they unwrapped her leg, roll-by-roll revealing the mass of bruising and swollen flesh and muscle around her knee. It hadn't hurt before, but now that Blake was staring at it, she suddenly felt all hope for a recovery evaporate…

"It's coming along nicely." Glynda stated, and Blake glanced over at her like she'd just stated the sun was due to explode.

She laid back and tried to think about literally anything else but her own leg, and ignore the pain she was in as they wrapped her back up. ' _Coming along nicely,'_ Glynda had said. If that was true, then… perhaps what she was thinking about wasn't totally insane.

"Au— _Scout Master,"_ Ruby spoke up as she unwound bandages from a roll to feed into Glynda's hands, "could I stay in this tent tonight?" The question caused a pause in movement, and even Blake turned to stare at her in nervous curiosity.

Glynda stared at her cadet, then continued wrapping Blake's leg after a moment of hesitation. "Dare I ask _why,_ Ruby?"

"I wanna…" Ruby answered softly, and Glynda flared her nostrils at the weak answer.

"She may be our patient, but she is still a prisoner under scrutiny, it would be better if _I_ stayed with her."

Blake's brow furrowed in frustration; right, she'd forgotten she would more than likely share space with the Scout Master, who probably would wake at the sound of a fly buzzing in the tent…

"B-but she likes me more!" Ruby insisted, making Blake stop.

 _What?_

"I rescued her, and I fed her, and I talked to her, and she likes me more than you and Yang!" Ruby insisted with a full faced pout as Blake opened her mouth in silent disbelief; how _dare_ she make such bold assumptions of her?! Not that she was _wrong,_ the girl was certainly sweeter, and her older sister was a proven pain in the ass. "Also, I'm worried about her, and I won't mind as much getting her water, or medicine, or food at night!" Ruby bobbed her head.

By this point, Glynda had almost entirely stopped wrapping Blake's leg to fixate Ruby with an unimpressed set of eyes, but Ruby kept up her pout long enough that Blake was mildly impressed; anybody else would have been intimidated by the woman's deadpan glare. "Will you be ready and willing to fend her off if she tries to attack you?" Glynda asked.

Blake sighed; right, she was _poison and gunpowder._ Despite this, Ruby nodded her head. "I'll kick her other leg in if I have to!" Blake's cheek twitched; they couldn't have had this conversation anywhere else?!

"Will you resist the temptation of giving her supplies or tools that Beacon needs, even if she pleads and begs?"

Ruby nodded again, "she won't see a piece of the Nargacuga!"

"Hmm." Glynda worked her jaw slowly. "I'm trusting you to guard our prisoner and _protect_ our patient; if a monster attacks—"

"I'll die before it can get to her!" Ruby assured the woman, and Blake bit her lip in thought; she sounded honest, and nothing the little lady had done made Blake assume she was being anything but truthful… still, it was an odd thing to have somebody declaring your life above their own.

"I'd prefer you _both_ survive, Ruby. Fine." Glynda sighed, and Blake's ears straightened up in surprise. "You may stay with her, but it's your duty to protect, provide, and prevent her from escaping; consider it a test in your upcoming career."

" _Eee!"_ The little shriek sent Blake's ears flat against her skull, and the Scout Master looked flustered, but _only_ flustered as Ruby hugged her. "I won't let you down, Auntie!"

" _Rose."_ Glynda growled warningly.

"Dun' care, I love ya!" Ruby beamed, and Glynda muttered darkly about professionalism in the field.

Blake kept her mouth shut, and just sighed as they finished up her leg.

It was dark all around them in no time, silence ruling the night, beyond the distant noise of animals and monsters. These sorts of nights left Blake feeling on edge, since nocturnal beasts could come spilling in at any time and snap the sleeping campers up, or a bad nightmare could summon the Grimm to their location, but nobody _else_ seemed concerned.

She stared at the ceiling of the tent, listening to Ruby undress nearby, and watching her slip into her sleeping bag in some light underclothes. Blake spied the girl's dual blades laying on the ground by her side, then glanced back up at the ceiling.

"Are we actually safe?" Blake asked, her ears perking at the sound of a distant snarl.

"Hmm?" Ruby answered.

"We're right next to a lake; won't nocturnal predators come around for a drink and, y'know… eat us?" Blake asked, but Ruby gave a little chuckle.

"Nah, nobody'll cause trouble in Mountain Mama's territory."

After a moment of uninformative silence, Blake inquired, "' _Mountain Mama?'"_

"Yeah. Or ' _Queen of the Mountain'_ as everyone else calls her; she's the Rathian that stays above New Vale on the mountain."

Blake's eyes popped wide open, and she opened her mouth in a brief desire to scream… then groaned. "New Vale was built _next to a Rathian nest?!"_

"Nah, she moved in long after we were all established! She found the place, like, twenty years ago, I think?" Ruby answered, raising a hand to trace aimless patterns in the air with her finger. "There's too many of us, and we have too much firepower for her to want to attack us; she stays on her side of the mountain, we stay on ours, and she keeps this whole area free of monsters and Grimm."

"I thought it was you hunters' jobs to kill all the monsters?" Blake sounded unsure, even if it _did_ make sense.

"Sometimes." Ruby answered with a smile. "It's a hunter's job to keep people safe, to find new places to live, to find food and water…" She answered semi-dreamily. "Most of the time, we're just seeing how many monsters there are, where they're going, who's in charge now, that sorta thing. Sir Ozpin told me that a hunter's job is to preserve _all_ life, and only kill when necessary. If we kill too many monsters, it upsets the ecosystem; if we don't kill them at the right time, then a whole pack or herd might get wiped out in a territory dispute. He said that we share this world, and if we try to dominate it, we'll get destroyed. Too many big monsters out there that only tolerate us, y'know?" Ruby chuckled.

Blake didn't feel reassured… but it was surprisingly different from what she'd heard in the Tribe. New Vale tried to live right alongside the monsters, then? Well, probably not as a symbiotic relationship, she doubted that ' _Mountain Mama'_ would have any compunctions eating any human she caught alone, but it made sense. When the world was in the right balance, New Vale could thrive without a horde of big, angry monsters trying to break in and eat, not when they had packs of Aptonoth outside to munch on.

Strange, but intelligent, and a surprisingly nice sentiment.

"So you _are_ a monster lover." Blake accused with little heat in her tone, her head turning to look at Ruby laying on the ground.

"They're _cool!"_ Ruby threw her hands up, grinning. "They're huge, and powerful, and they breath fire, or ice, or spray acid! They can fly, and burrow, and climb, a-and they're just... _full_ of magic!" Ruby tittered girlishly, the noise putting Blake at ease. "There's still so much we don't know about them; how they took over the old world, where they even come from, _why_ they have magic even the old world books don't know about…"

"You like the mystery, then." Blake pointed out, and Ruby nodded her head.

"There's no fun and doing something everybody already knows about; I wanna find new things! And…" Ruby trailed off. "And, if it helps people in the process, then I feel like it's the best thing we can do for the world, y'know? It makes me and other people happy, and it keeps New Vale safe."

"And that's what's important to you? Being safe and happy?" Blake looked down at Ruby with a frown, but Ruby shook her head.

"No, I wanna make other people safe and happy." She said it with such calm assurance that Blake quietly felt bad for second guessing her. "I was always told that I could do anything I wanted growing up in New Vale, no pressure to do something hard; I'm the daughter of the Hunt Master, I could get away with anything, right? But… I've seen what happens if hunters aren't there to protect people." Ruby's raised hand curled into a small fist, and a little frown crossed her face.

"Mm." Blake grunted. A thick knot had formed in her gullet, one built from a mixture of sympathy and understanding, guilt and rage, but more than anything, reflecting on what she had once told her mother while picking up a sword. "The Khan Tribe was formed from escape slaves." She said suddenly, and she felt Ruby turn to look at her, but she kept her eyes on the roof of their tent as she continued.

"Sienna Khan–the woman who adopted me–was being groomed to take her older sister's place in a human chieftain's harem. She told me that the day she was ' _ready'_ was the worst day of her life; her sister was brutally murdered in front of her as a warning if she'd ever tried to escape, her clothes torn from her body, and she told me that everything he did to her that night she repeated on him when she was freed…" Blake whispered, and Ruby's loud, thick gulp gave her some silent, sadistic satisfaction at knowing she was outpacing the girl's more-than-likely innocent outlook of life. "She rescued me from the same fate, too." Ruby looked away, clearly disturbed as Blake continued. "I was a baby at the time, but apparently whoever had me had ' _big plans'_ for my future, and that's where she came in."

"I've seen the worst of humanity, Ruby." Blake sighed softly. "I've seen Faunus stumble into our territory scarred and beaten; I've heard stories of how we're treated in human encampments, how we're kidnapped from our homes and forced into labor. Do you know what you are to me?" She looked at Ruby, who was silent as she shook her head. "An enemy." Blake answered, and Ruby tensed. "Every time I see any of you looking my way, I'm expecting the cudgel to drop, or the whip to snap. Every time I see myself in a new set of clothes, I wonder who violated me while I was out. Every time you talk about Beacon and New Vale as this amazing place, I wonder how much I'll see before I'm pushed into a mine and given a pickaxe." Blake's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowed, and her lips tightened as Ruby sat up. "And the worst part, is that I believe you when you say that you just want to help. I feel _safe,_ and that scares me the most, because every single time I start to wonder when the other shoe is going to drop and I'm going to be left tied to a table for a bunch of human farmhands. You are _not_ my enemy, Ruby… but when you smile at me, sometimes, all I can see is _teeth."_

Ruby was silent, staring in slack-jawed shock up at Blake as the girl's golden eyes pierced right through hers. She made a noise, trying to gather her words, to say something that would refute her and fix all of this… but Blake slumped back onto her pillow and let loose a loud, audible sigh.

"I… I would never let that happen." Ruby spoke in a low, insistent little voice, and Blake wanted to chuckle at the naivety, the _innocence…_ "Blake, I—… I'm sorry… I-I can't—…" Ruby sat up, leaning close enough to Blake for her to see the pretty silver of her eyes in the dim moonlight pouring in, and in that moment, Blake didn't see a _human,_ or a _Faunus,_ little Ruby was an island unto herself, unaffected by the war Blake had been apart of, and the little girl's frowning, tight expression made Blake wince. "... As long as I'm by your side, I won't let anything hurt you." Ruby stated in a firm, assuring way, and again, Blake wanted to believe her…

"That's not a promise you can keep; not now, not forever, Ruby." Blake reminded her softly, but Ruby shook her head.

"I'll try! No matter what, I'll keep you safe from monsters, Grimm, _and_ humans." She bobbed her head, her expression tight. Everything was written plain as day in the wrinkles and hills of the young girl's face: anger at what Blake and her people had gone through, sorrow for their plight, guilt for her race's hand in it, but a steady determination to make things right.

It was… disarmingly calming, and Blake found herself simply staring, unable to find a proper way to refute the girl's promise. Blake turned her head away, swallowing thickly, and found herself slinking away from the conversation she had so cruelly taken control of.

"Good night, Ruby." She said to the wall, not wanting to stare into those harsh eyes anymore.

She didn't hear Ruby move away at first, but soon, her sleeping bag shuffled, and her clothes ruffled, and Ruby let out a soft whisper: "Good night, Blake…"

She heard Ruby roll to stare the other way, and Blake wondered if she took it too far by being that honest… but no, if anything, it was something Ruby needed to hear. It would make the rest of the night make sense, it would make… _everything_ make sense, and then, maybe Ruby would understand why Faunus in black leather should have been left to die, and not babied and _loved._

Blake closed her eyes and took a deep breath… stupid humans, why couldn't they all be monsters?

Ruby's gentle snores wasn't the thing that woke Blake, it had been the sounds of screaming, laughter, and the striking of metal from deep within her dream.

Night was still upon them, grim and silent, mercilessly dark, and Blake allowed herself ten minutes to listen to the sounds around her to confirm the three humans weren't moving around restlessly, obviously awake. She was slow and meticulous in sliding her blanket off her body and moving her still functioning leg to hang over the edge of the cot, and she stared down at Ruby, who laid on her back, snoozing.

By now, the moon was hanging overhead, and though the tent's canvas was thick, enough moonlight peeked through the cracks and flaps for her to take in Ruby's peaceful face, and the two, heavy blades that rest against the tent's side. Quietly, Blake put aside the ropes that had bound her wrists; they had been well-knotted, but she'd been working on them all night. She slid a hand underneath her cot and tugged out the long, sturdy stick she had found by the lakeside, and slowly pressed it into the ground between her and Ruby.

It took a lot of maneuvering, and some sweat-inducing balance to position herself just right, but she leaned over Ruby's sleeping form with one foot in the ground between them, the stick digging into the ground on Ruby's other side, and her broken leg all but parallel to the tent's hide to reach Ruby's weapons.

With a tiny grunt of exertion, she grabbed one hatchet-like blade in her free hand, hefted it up with a surprising amount of difficulty–how _did_ Ruby fight with two of these things?!–and began to lean back away from the sleeping huntress before she paused.

Ruby hadn't stirred, despite the odd acrobatics Blake had gotten up to just to pilfer one of her weapons, and Blake hovered over the sweet, pale little face of a human filled with hopes and dreams, and a goodness untested by the harsh realities Blake had lived through.

The human huntress was unaware of the world around her, sucked into her own dreams, unable to see the Faunus right in front of her. She had no Aura at the moment, no defenses against predators.

Blake's eye went to the hatchet she had in her hand, her grip tightening in thought. The edge was still razor-sharp, and Ruby's chin was up, exposing her vulnerable neck.

… It would have been easy. Press the blade to her neck, slice quickly, and walk away as the girl gagged on her own blood. It would have been a quick and ignoble end for the girl, and one less potential obstacle in the way of the Khan Tribe's quest…

She was an enemy, even if she didn't know it. She was a human, and her life was as dangerous to the Faunus as any other human's, whose constant expanding, researching, and collecting put the stake the Tribe had at risk…

Blake would never have to see her again, not in this lifetime, and even if the guilt hung over her, she could get to her tribe and continue her duties as an enforcer of Faunuskind.

Without a word, silent as could be, Blake leaned her head down and considered her face for a moment. Her lips pursed, and she quietly eyed Ruby's lips… but rather than take advantage of the girl's unconscious state, she planted a soft kiss on Ruby's forehead

It was passionless and boring, and Blake didn't linger long. She raised herself up after a few moments and gave Ruby a fond, though sad smile. It had been a relief to resist her darker impulses to give the girl a more fitting reward for what she'd done, but that was all Blake had to offer her.

"Thank you. I'm sorry." She whispered before maneuvering herself to the tent's opening, then stumbling her way into the night, fleeing from a human who had proven herself different… and comforting.


	4. Chapter 4

With a grateful yawn due to a good night's sleep, Ruby pushed herself up from the bedroll she'd spent the night in. As was her normal morning ritual, she rolled her arms about to loosen her joints, stretched her phillanges out, and leaned forward to grab her toes, her back giving a good ' _pop'_ in response.

She then leaned back, pushing her modest breasts out to stretch her spine the other direction, her head lolling off her shoulders as she flexed her whole torso to work out the kinks and keep her flexible.

A hunter had to keep their body in peak condition, and free of even a small chance of cramping, after all! Nothing sucked worse than having to drag around a lame leg due to some grouchy muscles...

"G' _moooor-_ ning!" Ruby announced lazily, a smile on her face as she glanced to her left to check on her weapons, her brain fogging up in confusion as she only saw one of her boney hatchets resting there. Where was her other blade…?

It wasn't along the edge of the tent like usual, perhaps she had slept with it? A quick glance into her sleeping bag disproved that theory, and Ruby tossed her bedroll out the tent as she looked for her weapon in growing annoyance. She searched under the cot next to where she'd slept, and to her rising anxiety, couldn't find it there, either.

She opened her bags, pat down the night clothing she was wearing, took everything out of their containers, and finally left the tent with a mortified whimper.

Yang stepped out of her tent not too long after Glynda had, stretching in a set of night clothes that looked downright indecent on the blonde beauty. She lifted the bottom of her little white belly top and sighed as she fanned the underside of her well-developed bosom while she rubbed her eyes with her other hand and walked up beside her auntie. The older woman was standing still by the ashen remains of the fire they'd set up the night before, one hip cocked and arms crossed tightly.

"Watcha lookin' at, Auntie?" Yang asked sleepily, freezing as she realized what she'd said, but Glynda did not glance her way. The Scout Master had a frown on her face, and Yang followed her glare to the cart, where the bags had been pulled open, their contents spilled out.

Both of them slowly leaned around the cart to see Ruby standing in front of the Aptonoth, holding its mouth open and staring inside while it brayed in distress. She made a pathetic sound of distress before pushing it's maw closed, then quickly clamored on top of the beleaguered beast, then along its sides, before causing it to trundle away as she heaved at one massive ankle to try and look under its foot. The big monster huffed and went to go soak in the lake as Ruby finally took note of her unimpressed companions and pouted at them… before gasping and nearly running Yang over in her haste to get inside the tent her sister and leader had been sleeping in. Yang quickly sidestepped her charging sister and snagged the girl from her sprint into a headlock that briefly saw Ruby's boots churning a shallow ditch in the loose gravel and sand.

" _Yang!"_ Ruby squeaked in an aggravated pout, her arms flailing as her older sister raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you touch my blades?!" She demanded, sounding enraged as her older sister easily lifted her sister over her head with a grin.

"Nah, I prefer something with a little more _meat_ on it; didja loose 'em? How the hell did you manage _that_ , they run away from you?" Yang snickered as Ruby writhed in her grip, kicking and twisting until she fell onto the ground with a hard ' _thump.'_ All the while, Glynda stood there, watching, silent and annoyed as Ruby hopped up, wringing her fists in the air.

"One of my blades is _missing_ , and they love me so they'd never leave on their own!" Ruby shouted, growing more and more incensed as she turned to the Scout Master. " _Auntie,_ where is it?! It's not on my tent, the cart, or _anywhere!_ You're good at finding stuff!" Ruby stomped her little feet, acting more like an angry eight year old than a huntress in her graduating year. " _Help!"_

"Ruby." Glynda said calmly, her eyes boring into the girl's. "Would our patient know?" She pointed to the tent, whose open flap revealed the leg of the cot they'd set up for the Faunus.

With a little gasp of seeming recognition, Ruby bobbed her head, giving Glynda a quick wink of appreciation before sprinting back toward her tent. "I'll ask Blake! Thanks, Auntie!"

"That's _Scout Master,_ Rose!" Glynda called after her with a sigh, watching as Ruby threw the tent flaps open.

"Blake!" Ruby called in premature relief, "sorry to wake you up, but did you touch my—" Her voice cut off, and past Ruby's skinny hips and belly, the two blondes could see an empty cot, only a couple of long black hairs and a rumpled blanket left behind to indicate she had ever been there in the first place.

The flaps fluttered down to cover the scene, and Ruby turned around on the tips of her toes, her smile wide, and so _very_ fake as her face took on a waxy complexion of sheer dread. Yang _very_ somberly took a step back, spinning on her heel almost mechanically and went to the cart to put things away, humming to herself loudly to try and drown out the yelling preemptively.

"Ahem." Ruby began, Glynda's frown noticeably tightening as her face began to fill with red, and Ruby rocked on her heels, sweat dotting her face while her frozen smile turned ever more brittle. "Auntie… I know honesty is important, so there's something I oughta tell you, but I need you to promise you won't get mad at me..."

Yang switched to whistling as she tightened the drawstrings of the bags, noting that it was a rather lovely, warm day. A nice day to get back to Vale, report their findings, and go celebrate their success and safe return. Going fishing sounded quite nice in this weather, assuming the hoarse shouting didn't follow them. She paused for a moment as a dark shadow fell over her, and she glanced up, watching the mighty, winged wyvern that ruled the mountainside leave its nest to go hunting in the forests, and a look over Yang's shoulder confirmed the Aptonoth was largely submerged and hard to see as it lazily paddled around, grunting contently.

She looked back towards her family to see if they had noticed, and saw Ruby crouched on the ground, holding the top of her head while whimpering in pain as the Scout Master laid into her. She decided it could wait...

"— _trust you with anything else after this?!_ You had one job— _one job!_ One that you _begged_ me for, and now the _patient_ is missing, your _weapon_ has been stolen, and you _slept_ through the escape of a crippled woman!" Glynda's rising voice made the Queen of the Mountain above do a wide circle around the lake, obviously trying to catch sight of the conflict below, but then the Rathian went north, uninterested in a batch of squabbling humans.

"' _M sorry!"_ Ruby all but wailed as he quivered at her mentor's feet.

" _Sorry_ isn't going to _cut it,_ Ruby!" Glynda thundered, and Yang lowered her head as she started breaking down their tents. The woman's face was red, her neck muscles straining from her risen voice as she stared down at the feeble girl before her. "You allowed a _Tribesman_ to escape and _steal our equipment!"_ Glynda's head whirled towards the older sister, her eyes wide with anger. " _Yang!"_ She shouted, making the girl flinch, and look over with an innocent look. "Is anything missing from the wagon?!"

"Nothing's gone, ma'am!" Yang called back quickly, wanting her aunt paying attention to anything but her. Her efforts paid off and Glynda turned back towards Ruby, her Aura rising and popping around her like a boiling pot of liquid rage.

"We are _lucky_ she didn't decide to pilfer anything for herself besides your weapon, Ruby! Or to kill you where you laid! Your Aura is _worthless_ if you're not alert enough to brace for an attack!" Glynda admonished, reaching down to grab the young lady by her wrist and force her to her feet, Ruby's silver eyes already large and watery in her humiliation. "I expected _better."_ Glynda nearly spat, and Ruby cringed, her elder's disappointment far more painful than the smack she'd earned.

"I would have stopped her, honest! Just like I promised! I-I just didn't even _notice!"_ Ruby whimpered, trembling in place.

" _Clearly;_ Blake Khan is _somewhere_ in the Vale woods on a broken leg and is _armed."_ Glynda reminded her harshly, and Ruby's shoulders and gaze sank. "She is more than likely heading north in some ridiculous attempt to rejoin her tribe; assuming she's not dead _already,_ she's not long for this world! Your foolishness not only risked our cargo and your life, but that stupid girl will most likely die before nightfall because of _your_ failure." Ruby's head sunk lower, until she was staring at the ground, her fists tight, her expression hidden, but Glynda caught the glimmers of falling tears hitting the sand beneath them, and the Scout Master huffed in some minor retribution.

"I—… I'm so sorry…" Ruby whispered, and Glynda nodded promptly.

"You had _better be._ You had one assignment and you let it slip by under your nose _on a broken leg."_ The depths of Ruby's failure properly hammered into her, Glynda straightened up, her unblinking eyes fixated on the top of Ruby's skull. With a flare of her nostrils, she stopped herself from shouting further; all it would serve to do was further hurt the young girl's already evaporated ego, and they had a mission to complete. In her current state, Ruby would be almost useless for the rest of the march… driving her deeper into depression would only risk making the girl a magnet for trouble. She let out a long breath through her nostrils, and went to the cart to inspect the contents for herself. "Help your sister pack. We're heading out, we've plenty of dried meat for breakfast on the move." she ordered, getting a small, silent nod in return.

Ruby stiffly entered her tent and began absently stuffing items back in their containers while, swallowing thickly and thinking about Blake. She had disappeared; Ruby couldn't believe that Blake had just _left._ She hadn't said a word, or tried to justify it, and after Ruby had promised to keep her safe, to show her Vale, to show her a place where she wasn't going to be enslaved, or killed, or raped for the crime of being born with pointy kitty ears.

And worse, Ruby's negligence had allowed it. She didn't know why she'd slept so hard, she was usually good about waking up!

… to ground-shaking footsteps, body-shaking snarls, and crunching foliage.

She shook, she worried, she _raged;_ how could Blake betray her like that?! She wanted to shake Blake and shout her ears off for this, but that meant going out and finding her.

Ruby's head shot up as a hand landed on her shoulder, and she looked up to Yang with a red-faced frown and puffy wet cheeks. Her big sister was looking at her with concern, their eyes meeting so they could speak without words. It wasn't some supernatural thing, but the sisters had known each other for all their lives, and the way their eyes and lips moved said more than anything they could have said out loud.

Glynda lifted her head as she heard the two girls moving behind her. She watched with a small, disapproving look as Ruby helped break down the tent she'd been staying in, moving the Restree cot and her bedroll onto the wagon, then pulling on her fur-lined leather armor, and staring at her lone hatchet despondently.

"We'll get you a replacement at Beacon, Ruby. They probably won't look exactly the same, though." Glynda told her, both to reassure her, and remind her of what she'd lost due to her own mistakes.

"Aren't we going after her?" Ruby asked in confusion, and she jumped in apprehension when the Scout Master rounded on her, her posture stiff. Ruby wanted to shrink until her leader couldn't see her anymore, but she settled for staying still and quiet.

"There is no benefit in wasting time and energy chasing a wounded, runaway Tribesman through the woods." Glynda stated with a sigh; despite her own impulse to play hero, she knew when to cut her losses. "If she had taken valuable supplies, maybe, but one generic bone hatchet? It would be idiotic to risk everything we're hauling in the cart for something an apprentice smith can replace in half a day from the safety of his workshop." She shook her head.

She heard no response, and whistled for the Aptonoth. The lumbering beast emerged from the water, a squirming fishtail sticking out of its mouth before it disappeared down its gullet. The beast was lead to the cart as it shook it's hide dry, and Glynda was hooking it up to the bridle when she noted that neither girl had made so much as a peep.

An annoyed glance over her shoulder showed both girls in a quiet discussion with each other, more than likely talking about the Faunus girl. She took all of ten seconds to guess what they were plotting and loosed a gentle breath. Curse their foolish, brave little hearts... She hung back until they'd finished talking, her arms crossed under her chest, and the fingers of her right hand drumming her left elbow in impatient anticipation as both girls approached her with serious expressions on their face, Ruby no longer having tears running freely down her cheeks.

Before the two could talk, Glynda raised a hand, interrupting whatever they were about to say sharply. "I know what you two are planning." She said, almost angry at what she presumed was their reason to approach her, weapons equipped. "The answer is _no."_ Their expressions fell, and Glynda pointed up to the now extinguished beacon at the top of the mountain. "We can leave a notice to keep an eye out for her in Beacon, I'll not lose you two in the final leg of our journey over an escapee. If she doesn't _want_ to be saved, then we shouldn't bother trying, we have far better uses of our time and less suicidally stupid people in need of our protection."

She felt that was the last word, and it _should_ have been for any _other_ batch of cadets looking to keep their superiors' favor, but Ruby and Yang were an infamously difficult pair whose connection to most of Beacon's upper rung gave them a profoundly infuriating sense of boldness. She'd found their brash challenging of authority much funnier when it was aimed at James or their father.

"No offense Scout Master, but that's not your call." Yang said with a calm seriousness that Glynda was mildly irritated she never used while following orders.

It should have been enough for Glynda to rebuke her, remind her of her place, harshly penalize her for her backtalk, and then force them both back home, but Yang's tone and steely gaze made Glynda pause. She took a settling breath and tilted her head as a frown of calm curiosity spread across her tense expression. "Explain."

Ruby stepped forward, her one blade hanging at her hip, and spoke with as much conviction as she could muster. "You said it yourself back at Restree: Blake is _our_ responsibility, so we've decided to take her rescue into our own hands."

"It's our first first big side quest, and we aren't going to fail it now." Yang nodded.

Again, Glynda found herself bemused with their sudden decision to take things seriously. "Through her own actions, Blake has made it clear she would rather crawl her way back to Old Vale than be taken to Beacon."

"And she'll get the chance to once we get her leg all healed up." Ruby answered, making Glynda set her jaw unhappily.

"What if you don't find her?" Glynda asked.

"We'll find her." Yang answered.

"What if she fights _back?"_

"Oh no, an Auraless girl with a broken leg wants to hit us?" Ruby said dryly, flexing an arm. "She'll just wake up in a hospital bed… I'm not sleeping again until she's the hospital's problem." She nodded, huffing.

Glynda rolled her eyes, and stepped forward, staring her two cadets down with an intensely dire glare. "Of all times for you two to not just take a given mission seriously, but realize the full ramifications, and it's with a lost cause." She sighed, rubbing her temples…

… but, she couldn't deny that a small amount of pride welled up within her; if this was what it took for the girls to do their duty, then so be it.

"This is a foolish idea. You've spent your whole lives learning how merciless the wilds are, the dangers that even the prepared may not be able to overcome. Blake is probably dead, or will be shortly, and you are only exposing yourselves to greater danger by stumbling into whatever finished her off." She informed them. She felt a mixture of pride and exasperation at the way her speech just made them look annoyed rather than nervous. She sighed. "But as your father would say, ' _It's not over until you've looted the corpse.'_ Very well." Glynda unbuckled the Aptonoth, and smacked its haunch, letting it plod its way back over to the lake as the woman took out a pair of rations and tossed one to each girl. "If you _must_ waste your time, it will be without my support." Both girls stared at the small, wrapped bundles of salted meats and bread, then back up to their Scout Master in slight confusion.

"You aren't coming?" Ruby asked worriedly, but Yang grew a grin.

"It's _our_ mission, Ruby." The blonde reminded her little sister excitedly, tearing open the ration to rip of a chunk of meat with a grin, hastily eating as Glynda nodded.

"Correct. Consider this your opportunity to make up for your failure, Ruby; not just to me, but to Blake as well." Glynda closed her eyes, let loose a weary groan, and reached out to rest a hand on both girls' head, making their eyes flutter and look up at her in confusion. "Come back to me alive; me, your father, every man you call ' _uncle'_ and woman you call ' _aunt'_ is awaiting your return. If I have to report that one or both of you perished, the shame might make me hang up my blade."

The look on her face took both girls aback; the respect, the admiration, the unspoken pride, and the overwhelming worry… but she bowed her head, and gestured to the forest.

After a moment of surprise at the woman's show of emotion, the two girls presented her with cocky smiles, and held their fists over their chests in a hunter's salute of respect. The Scout Master returned the gesture with a straight posture, and Ruby beamed. "Don't you worry about us, Auntie!"

" _Ruby…"_

"Nuh uh, you're _Auntie_ right now! We'll be back!" Ruby pumped her arm, and beamed. "And we'll bring Blake with us!"

Yang let out a scandalized gasp of sudden delight. "Then you can yell at _her_ for being a dipshit!" She whispered in slight awe.

" _Yes_ …" Ruby almost growled, her smile turning feral as her determination surged to new heights. She spun on her heel and broke north at her top speed with Yang sprinting behind her and shouting for the smaller, faster girl to wait.

Glynda watched them disappear into the green brush with a distant expression on her face. A fer moments passed before she closed her eyes, then allowed herself a small smile. She trusted that they would return alive, and return with whatever remained of the Tribesman; they were her best students after all, and that didn't come without some implication of trust.

It was _beneath_ them to be left behind as nothing more than ' _foolhardy corpses.'_

… though it certainly wasn't beneath Ruby to take _triple_ dung duties for her continued insubordination and failure. And Yang could get a shift scaling fish for the Paladin's barracks; getting thousands of sticky bits of shrapnel in her hair would serve her right. And if Blake _did_ somehow make it back… Glynda had never punished a crippled escapee Tribesman before, but she was confident she could think of something...

* * *

Quiet honking and small, inquisitive trills accompanied the huge, rounded bird's inspection of some torn up roots underneath one of the large trees of the forest.

It looked as though the dirt had been excavated for one of the smaller monsters to make its nest, and the curious Gargwa poked its head underneath the roots repeatedly, its claws raking dirt out to shroud a larger opening beneath the tree. It was probably too small of a nesting location for the big, fat, flightless bird, but its wide, flat bill kept prodding around the area and loosing small honks, until a head poked out of the hidden nest.

A smaller Gargwa chirped affectionately with the bigger male, the two honking softly at one another in a familiar way. They were a family, it seemed, and Blake wouldn't put it past the two of them to have a nest of eggs amidst those roots.

She swallowed thickly as she watched the two beasts, the male strutting about and using its talons to move dirt around to better hide the female, and lifting its head to listen to the distant sounds of the forest before getting back to work.

There was only one shot, and Blake sucked in a deep breath. Her good leg propelling her, Blake hung tightly onto a loosened vine to keep her wrapped leg off the ground, and with a kick to the tree, propelled herself towards the bigger Gargwa with her other hand around the handle of the heavy hatchet.

Blood splattered across her side as the blade sank into the screeching bird's neck, and she let go of the vine when the momentum slowed, letting her land delicately on her good leg, her broken leg thumping the ground lightly, but still enough to make her wince and tremble.

Ruby's weapon was good, sharp, and heavy, and turning to look at the bird beast in its death throes, damn good at what it did. Blake filled her lungs with air; she had food, now. She didn't have long to celebrate, however, as Blake stumbled forward with the help of the vine, the nest the Gargwa was building erupted in a spray of dirt that sent her hopping back as the smaller female emerged.

Wild flaps of its vestigial wings joined with the sound of its dismayed squawking, its beak prodding at the still form of its mate, and the bird beast turned with a glare towards the surprised Blake. It charged at her, its talons flailing, its flat beak pecking, the beast yammering and wailing angrily, and Blake found herself using the vine to kick around the bird, her heart hammering as it charged after her in loud mourning.

The hatchet swung sloppily towards the Gargwa, chipping its beak and making it stumble into her hard enough to send her back into a tree. She gasped as the impact knocked the air out of her lungs, and she lifted her eyes and tried to calm her body as the Gargwa recouped, and tackled her.

Every panicked swing Blake threw drew blood, and she hecticly swung about on the vine she'd used to make her entrance to avoid the sharp bird claws. Musty, dirty feathers brushed against her body as the bird tried to use its bulk to crush Blake against the tree trunk, but those feathers were soon streaked red, the smell of copper filling her nose.

The battle ended unceremoniously when the vine Blake had been hanging off of snapped, her frantic swinging having wrapped the Gargwa up until it could no longer move, its weight breaking the ivy as it fell and bled out on the forest loam from the numerous cuts Blake had put in it.

Blake fell to the floor on her side, panting, a fresh, red line of blood bleeding into the bandages around her upper thigh. The cut _stung,_ but she at least knew that the sting meant it wasn't _deep._ The claws had also luckily missed her knee, but her bindings were now loos

She let out a ragged, pained groan, her mind fuzzy, her heart hammering, and she forced herself up to stare at the two corpses she'd left. The Gargwa lay still, filling the small clearing with blood. Blake felt a moment of elation; food! She had _food!_ She crawled her way over to the female, trying to hype herself up over the prospect of some delicious, raw meat, but as she grabbed a handful of wet feathers and dragged herself over, the pressure around her wounded leg lightening with the loss of her bindings, she found her elation quickly depleting.

The dead female had lunged from its safe hovel to drive off an attacker; she would have left the female alone, she only needed to eat the male, but… the monster had tried to defend its already deceased family, even if they were wounded, she hadn't run.

The nest was probably full of Gargwa eggs, fertilized and only awaiting the warmth of their mother to begin to grow into the next generation of fat, tasty birds, but the way the Gargwa had pursued Blake, honking and howling, she'd almost seemed… _hysterical_ from the loss of her mate.

Blake stared at the corpse before her, and her appetite plummeted; if she had been a damn _bird_ four nights ago, she would have had somebody who would protect her, and care if she _died…_

With a dutiful anger, Blake began tearing feathers out of the Gargwa, her face a mask of anxiety and sorrow; her own people had thrown her aside as bait, the daughter of their liberator, their _leader,_ nothing more than a distraction for the humans and the Grimm. As far as they knew, she was a multitude of bloody ribbons back in the woods they'd absconded from, probably sitting in the belly of a passing beast.

Blake threw dirty feathers aside with her teeth grit, baring a small portion of the bird's flesh. She grew tired, angry, and _hungry_ being gentle with the monster's corpse, and lifted the hatchet to hack at its body, crushing bones, tearing flesh, sending feathers flying; she'd put her life on the line for them, she'd done everything _right,_ it wasn't her fault the humans had discovered them, it wasn't _her fault_ her leg had gotten wounded…

She wanted to be back home with her mother, planning the next stage in their attack, to free their people from the damned, hateful, ignorant, idiotic _humans…_

Free their people from Ruby, Yang, and their auntie.

Blake cut into the bird and dug her hands in, ripping thick, pink chunks of bloody meat that she stuffed her mouth with, the raw taste making her cringe and her stomach flip, but she was used to this, she had eaten plenty of raw meat when fire wasn't available, it didn't _bother her._

No, _nothing_ bothered her; not her _leg,_ not _raw meat,_ not even _Adam's betrayal,_ because she _would_ get him hung for his crimes, and the thought of revenge drove her to fill her belly. Not even running away from Ruby bothered her; how could a human's promises be worth anything? She was a stupid little girl who promised too much and acted like the world was a better place than it was.

Blake gnashed furiously, her heart hammering in her breast as she swallowed blood and meat; _this_ was the truth about the world, kill or be killed, feed or be food; not exterminating the monsters on sight would get Vale _destroyed,_ they were instinctive beasts driven by their bellies, just like every human was driven by a need to dominate, and every _man_ was driven by their _lust._

Such sentimental _nonsense_ was a _poison;_ Ruby's love of the monsters would have her killed in no time, and Yang wouldn't be far behind her. They were both _idiots;_ that Cordovin woman was right, they were _destined_ to die, and nobody would remember them, because that's how the world _worked._ Blake would survive, drag herself back to Old Vale, and force them to remember her because she would fight tooth and nail to survive, not place her trust in ridiculous ideas that would only see her ripped apart.

Even if she _wanted_ to.

Blake stopped, coughed, and wiped her chin of the hot red pouring down it, her entire body suddenly aching. All of a sudden, without a hint of warning, she was reminded that she could have cut Ruby's throat in her sleep before leaving them behind.

The thought made her body turn cold; the thought of that little girl drowning in her own blood made Blake want to vomit up everything she had eaten. She hadn't even done the deed, and the idea of her _dying_ made Blake want to well up with tears. How was this _fair?_ She barely knew the girl, it wasn't like Ruby had saved her life, promised her a healthy return to form, and promised to protect her from the dangers of the world.

Well where was she now?! Where was Ruby to protect her as she meekly ate raw flesh and muscle, where was Ruby to redo her bandages and feed her potions, where was Ruby to relax her and make her feel safe…?!

Probably on her way back to Beacon without her patient, squabbling with her older sister about who knew what, probably punching each other and laughing about it while that tinman of a Scout Master sharply reminded them to keep their eyes and ears open…

Not that Blake regretted leaving them. Not at all; she only barely knew them, and they might have been better than the usual stock of humans, but they were still humans. Yeah, they were still _humans;_ what could she have expected in Beacon other than anything more hacking away at rocks? New Vale couldn't have been some utopia like the other Faunus talked about, right?

That was ridiculous, the world didn't _work like that._ It was full of predators and prey, even amongst their own species, there was no assured allies or comfort, not when she had meat on her bones, a vagina between her legs, and monsters and Grimm scratching at the walls of her home.

Blake went still as the woods around her suddenly shivered. Her jaw closed slowly, weakly as she heard the trembling leaves and shaking brush, and she lowered the handful of meat to the ground and lowered herself, the stink of the Gawjwa's innards making her nose curdle, but she made no noise.

Her ears flicked left, then right, searching for the sounds of rustling brush. The wind was low, the movement was unmistakable, and she made a pair of fists. No… no, she wasn't emotionally prepared for an ambush, her heart was already twisted up, and now she was in danger?! She breathed a shuddering breath to try and calm down, but her emotions still raged within her, and it was hard to calm down…

Slowly she tried to drag herself away from the partially eaten bird, her eyes flickering around her as five slender, winged serpents descended off of trees, hisses escaping them as their wide wings stirred the air.

The Remobras were longer than Blake was tall, but were far more slender, practically snakes with wings, vicious little talons, and sharp teeth. Their blue and yellow flesh looked odd against the green and brown of the forest, but being airborne predators, they had little need for defense against the many terrestrial predators fighting over the forest floor.

Two of them hovered overhead, staring over the scene, their beady red eyes locking onto Blake with curious flicks of their forked tongues. Three of them landed on the grass, hopping about on their two small legs to lick at the bloodied corpses of the bird monsters, but one of them hopped away from the other two to lope over to Blake, who hastened her crawling as she stared at the snake-like beasts in fright.

She swung her hatchet towards the approaching Remobra, though the monster arched out of the wide swing with a challenging sneer, then hopped forward with its teeth flashing. The other Remobra looked to the source of the pained squeal, and Blake lifted the hatchet high to bring it down on the neck of the serpent biting into her shin through her already bloodied bandages.

The teeth loosened, the head fell between her legs as the decapitated body slumped to the ground, blood gushing from its severed neck, and the rest of the Remobra jumped off the Gargwa's body or descended on her, snapping, hissing, and growling as she whimpered and wailed, dragging herself towards the nest the birds had been digging and swinging Ruby's hatchet wildly.

Needle-like teeth bit into her foot, eliciting another cry of pain before she tumbled backwards down a sudden decline, her back crushing something soft and gooey when she finally hit the ground. Dazedly, she found herself surrounded by wood and dirt, a pair of large, white spheres sticking out of some twigs, straw, and leaves around her, and with a desperate pant, she lifted herself up, teeth grit in pain.

Her back was wet from some sort of mush, and a quick glance confirmed she'd landed right on top of a Gargwa egg, and was currently bathed in yolk… nutritious, delicious _yolk,_ and with streaks of blood now running down her leg, Blake winced as she realized she must have smelt like the most delicious thing in the world to the Remobras.

A long snake head poked into the nest, and Blake weakly swung the hatchet in her hand at the monster, her entire body weak and shaking as she felt the terror of death looming over her, memories of that awful night creeping back on her as she found herself on the precipice once more, but no river to fall back into, no Rathian to call upon…

The snake's mouth lunged, and Blake held her arms over her face, and ultimately, felt nothing.

Shrieking, growling, hissing, and yelping reached her ears as she awaited her end, and slowly, she lifted her arms to see the Remobra was gone. There were hisses from outside, and an odd hooting sound, mixed with snarls of defiance and territorial rage. The sounds grew and grew until she heard fighting outside, the tearing of flesh, crushing of bone, flapping wings, pained shrieks, and the gargles of death, and all at once, it was quiet.

Blake waited with bated breath, listening to the sounds of shuffling outside the little hovel she'd pulled herself into, and an eeriness settled around her until blood began to dribble into the Gargwa den; a single long, continuous river of crimson, and Blake tried to push herself away, a queasy feeling entering her stomach. She began to wonder, however, if she'd somehow been saved by a larger monster; _again._

She couldn't have possibly been _that_ lucky, right…?

An arm, blacker than the night sky thrust into the nest, and Blake screamed as a Grimm's claws closed around her wounded leg, dragging her out of the relative safety of the nest and into the sunlight. The Remobras laid strewn about in pieces, their limbs, heads, and wings torn from their bodies. Blake was dragged into the midst of a pack of young, ape-like Grimm, their black bodies encased in bone-white plates, their faces shaped like gorilla skulls with prominent fangs and blood-red eyes, and their their maws opening to reveal red voids at the back of their throats, with pink tongues lolling out in anticipation of a _kill._

They ignored the bodies of the Gargwas and Remobras as meat did not feed them; they weren't a travelling pack that had happened upon the incident randomly; the Grimm were more monstrous than the monsters, almost alien beings that suddenly appeared in the world whenever they felt the fear, anguish, or rage of a sentient creature on Remnant.

They had long been called by Blake's rising anxiety and sorrow, and their appearance only hastened by her terror when the Remobra had found her, but now she was _theirs;_ they didn't need to eat her, beating her to death with their thick knuckles was enough.

Blake wailed as loudly as her lungs allowed her as she thrust her hands into their faces instinctively, trying to push them away despite even one being more than three times her weight, even as young as they were. Powerful fingers wrapped around her wrists and forced her arms to the ground, letting one bring its fists down on her stomach.

 _Pain._ Pain radiated across her weak, fleshy body from the blow, the blunt force making her stomach churn and intestines ache, the urge to vomit overtaking Blake's frightened screams, and the Beringel Grimm was pulled back by another that loomed over Blake, and her face burst into pain as its open palm collided with her face, her nose cracking, her eyes blurring, blood filling her mouth from where she'd bit through her cheek.

In her pained struggles she wrenched her hands free and threw her arm out, the hatchet she carried burying into the shoulder of one Beringel as she cried out through her own ichor, and the ape howled and hooted in pain, smacking her arm aside and grabbing at the blade to tear out of its body. No blood spurted out, only a sickly black mist, and with an enraged howl, the wounded Grimm grabbed her foot, while a second Beringel grabbed the other leg.

She felt her legs spread apart, a sudden, horrific thought entering her head as she reached down to cover her genitals, but the Grimm didn't care to make her execution that much more horrific; no, they spread her legs as wide as they could, and hooting and hollering like they were playing a game of tug of war, they began to pull.

Each tug send sharp pain through Blake's hips, her knee straightened out, the bone tugging apart and sending a nauseating agony through the rest of her body. She could barely see through her tears, but she tried to lunge forward and push them away, but she couldn't reach, and they kept pulling, and pulling, until she felt her hips _pop..._

… and then, it stopped.

Blake's legs fell, no longer being wrenched out of their sockets, and despite the hurt she was feeling, Blake forced herself to sit up with her hands raised in a sloppy defense. It took her a second of blinking through her tears and screaming in one last moment of defiance before she noticed that one's head disappeared.

The other Beringel were huffing and puffing in anger and distress, their heads twisting around in paranoia as the body of one of their own slumped over, its head open-mouthed in mid-scream on the ground, both dissipating into a dark vapor.

Blake stared around in abject confusion and terror, her mind halting its horrified overthinking when something floated before her.

A single, red rose petal, glimmering in the light like it was made of crystal.

Another Beringel raised its arm, which disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, and the Grimm backed away with confused hoots as the unseen attacker made herself known. They screeched in primal fury, beating the ground with their heavy fists, while Blake, silently, stared up at the back of a girl she thought she'd abandoned.

Ruby bent down to pick up her second hatchet, tossing it into the air with an artful flip before its handle landed back in her palm, and she held the blade up to her face. "Aww… you _dulled_ it!" Ruby complained, and Blake almost managed a disbelieving laugh before the Grimm _howled._

Blake's scream was drowned out by their roaring, and above her, Ruby spun around, her body flashing with her red Aura, encasing her weaponry in the enhancing light of her soul, while the Beringel bore down on Ruby and found the blades gouging out long, deep cuts in their arms and barreled chests. The gorilla Grimm tried to grab her limbs or throw fists at Ruby, but as the girl twirled above Blake, fingers, hands, and arms were cut off and thrown aside by the spinning huntress.

Three of the young Beringel were cut apart by the time the huntress stopped her movement to catch a fist trying to hammer down on her head, each of the dissipating Grimm corpses missing hunks of their arms and torsos while lined with deep, red cuts that left them writhing in the last few moments of their lives.

The Beringel trying to club Ruby lunged forward to knock her over with all several hundreds of its pounds, but the beast found itself stumbling through a cloud of fading red petals and stumbling into a fellow Grimm, the two grunting, hooting, slapping at one another in their confusion for a moment before turning to snarl at the huntress, who had reappeared at the base of the dug up tree with their former victim in her arms.

Blake looked into Ruby's eyes with a pleading expression, regret and humiliation evident in every wrinkle of her saddened face, but she was met with a gentle smile. "Toldja I'd protect you." Ruby reminded her, and all at once, the horror, the anger, the sorrow, it all just… _ceased._

The world was cruel, it spared no mercy to the weak, and that fact was made evident every day as people disappeared into the maws of hungry beasts and bloodthirsty Grimm. Safety was a luxury, and yet, Blake felt abnormally calm in Ruby's arms.

She cried. It was pathetic, but the relieved sobs escaped her chest, believing Ruby's words even as her whole lower half threatened to stop functioning forever from the torture she'd gone through. She buried her face into Ruby's shoulder, hot tears staining the fur-lined leather she wore.

Blake scrambled to stay in Ruby's arms as she felt herself being lowered to the ground, back into the hole she'd been yanked out of, but the last thing she saw in the light was Ruby's determined expression, a ghost of a smile on her tensed lips, and Blake slid away from the little lady who had protected her.

She was on her back again, back in a puddle of yolk, back in the dark comfort of a dead monster's nest… and watching as a glass bottle with a familiar green liquid rolled down the slope after her. Through her own exhaustion and constant aching, she recognized what Ruby had left with her, and she struggled to reach her hands out and grab ahold of the potion.

Before she popped the cork of the bottle, she realized she had something to fix before she drank. The thought of it made her skin crawl, her already bruised stomach clenching at the prospect of further pain, but she _had_ to if she was going to better repair herself. She reached a hand up to her smashed nose, gripped the throbbing mass of cartilage with a tearful wince, and wrenched it back into place with a loud cry of pain, fresh blood shooting out her nostrils, and the world turning white as her mind threatened to blank out…

… but no. She wouldn't die here. Not with Ruby protecting her outside, not with justice needing to be taken, not at the hands of the goddamned _Grimm._ Nearly blind, she groped for the bottle's neck and grabbed the cork, wrenching with all her strength to open it up. She sat up just enough to bring the potion to her lips and gulp down its contents, keeping herself from gagging at the taste of herbs, honey, and her own blood, not stopping until she was sucking at air. The glass was tossed away, and she laid on the ground panting as the potion took effect.

Healing magic radiated across her body, the bruising ebbing away, the cuts sealing, her nose burning fiercely as the magical concoction finished the job of resetting it. Her hips began to feel better, and even her broken leg was mending the less severe wounds; she must have been missing some bone, or it was too severely mangled to pull together, but either way, after a minute of bleeding, panting, and gritting her teeth, she felt like a _person_ again.

A person who was currently a sore, throbbing mess, with barely enough energy to roll herself onto her stomach so she could dig her elbows into the dirt and drag herself up the incline towards the den's exit, but she could still _move._

She hadn't given up if she could still move, she wasn't _dead_ if she could still move, she wasn't a _prisoner_ if she could still move… she was alive, alive and _free,_ not a prisoner to the humans, not a victim of the wilds, and she would abate her humiliation by watching her savior in action.

Her fear, her pain, her humiliation, and her screaming had summoned more Grimm, _numerous_ Grimm, of a dozen different shapes and sizes that filled the small clearing Blake had found the Gargwa in. A constantly shifting black mass of vague animal shapes churned and broiled, boney white plates serving more to create a visual confusion as they waxed and waned amidst the raving darkness, streaks of red and yellow eyes spotting the inky tapestry as the beasts struggled against one another.

It was a horrendous sight to see a horde of Grimm so numerous and tightly packed, as it often spelled the end to a hunting party, or even a whole village, especially if the vile magics they were composed of drew hungry monsters to feast, but even as Blake's instincts told her to flee far away with their attention turned elsewhere, Blake kept her eyes out for the one thing that mattered.

She thought she'd gotten a good read on the little huntress in the short amount of time she had spent in her presence; she thought that Ruby was nothing more than a spoiled little girl who was all talk and no substance, despite the Scout Master's declaration and the muscle lining her body; she thought the girl's strength was strictly for show, a way to look tough and act strong, with nothing to back it up…

Twisting and turning like a blur of blades and human fury, the girl created a pocket of safety around herself by cutting clean through outstretched limbs and jaws, her Aura flickering in minor warning as meek claws and detached limbs only barely managed to rake against her. Her heavy, boney blades found their marks, often cleaving through more than one Grimm at a time, the girl's constant momentum allowing her to pass from one strike to the next, a never-ending tide of cutting blades and chopping hatchets.

Blake caught sight of Ruby as she swirled to the edge of the crowd of Grimm, both her blades coming down the middle of a Boarbatusk to split it clean in two, then pivoting in place as both her weapons wheeled around her to open a long gash on the chest of a howling Beowolf, and cut open the face of a lunging Creep.

A Beringel, larger than the smaller kin that had pinned Blake to the forest floor, trampled through the smaller Grimm, crushing them underfoot with no care towards its own kind, single-mindedly pursuing after Ruby. A fist as large as Ruby's torso crashed into the ground Ruby had occupied, the massive ape giving a howling warcry, but no puddle of blood squirted from beneath its hands; instead, Ruby twirled up its arm, a blender that travelled up to its shoulder and opened its limb up like a split piece of lumber destined for the fire.

In midair, Blake saw what she thought was a mirage; a smile splitting Ruby's face from ear to ear, showing her teeth in what could only be bloodthirsty delight. The girl landed amidst the Grimm, her boots crushing one to the ground before she hacked and hewed a trail towards the other end of the clearing, keeping them from even getting close to where Blake hid.

She was look a woman possessed, every movement faster than the last, every strike precise and powerful, in that whatever they hit was rendered incapacitated momentarily. The seemingly unstoppable tide of Grimm was kept at bay by a single girl; a single _smiling_ girl whose giggling intermixed with the barks, howls, squeals, and jeers of the dark beasts.

The girl Blake thought she'd known seemed like something completely different; her red Aura flickered and flared as the monsters tried to get a good grasp on her, but they continually failed, and seemed less and less of a threat as an odd, glimmering red mist poured off her limbs. Blake had to focus her eyes to see the glint of magic swirling about Ruby as she tore more Grimm to pieces, pouring off of her like a crimson steam, until her flesh, armor, and hatchets were glowing, like her very flesh was brimming with a power Blake couldn't identify.

Whatever it was, though, it drove Ruby; faster and faster, yet faster _still_ as she bounced from target to target, leaving behind black clouds of death with every move, at times barely even perceptible other than a dying screech, quickly followed by another, then _another…_

They were nothing to her.

The very progeny of death, reduced to nothing more than a slaughter under her escalating assault, until all that remained amidst the blackened cloud was Ruby alone, standing with her back to Blake, leaking a lethal red mist as she squeezed the blades in her hands so hard her red Aura sprung up.

She wasn't just using just her Aura like Adam did, the girl somehow used _magic,_ a magic that bolstered her like a steroid, and left her bleeding the image of an avatar of war. Ruby raised her blades high, spun them back into a normal grip in her hands, and turned towards Blake.

Her silver eyes glinted a dangerous confidence as she strode towards her charge with all the ease in the world, and Blake felt cowed by both fright and awe of the girl before her. Ruby was… a _hunter._ A warrior, a killer, a violent creature who dominated her fight with a grin on her face, and ultimately, protected herself and Blake.

Blake lowered herself in the nest, unsure of what to make of Ruby as she came ever closer, wanting to climb out on her wounded legs to thank her, and also fall back to avoid the girl's wrath. She just barely stopped herself from letting go as Ruby approached her and knelt down.

Ruby smelled like blood. She wasn't covered in the stuff, though she may have stepped in what was left of the Gargwas, but she still smelled like freshly spilled blood and broken bones, and the magical red mist she gave off was like a hot steam that made Blake's skin crawl. "R-Ruby…?" Blake whispered up at her, the world around her smelling and feeling like a bloodbath, but it began to fade as Ruby took deep breaths, her vicious smile shrinking, and the girl began to shiver quietly, sweat dripping down every exposed part of her flesh.

She wavered where she knelt, looking exhausted, but Ruby grit her teeth, flexed her fists, and with a gasp, the red mist fled her body, her Aura fell, and Ruby panted in front of Blake on all fours. Blake swallowed thickly; the giggling berserker from before had disappeared, and before her, Ruby was back, looking up at her with those silver eyes, and smiling confidently as she extended a hand.

"W-we're safe!" Ruby said promisingly.

Blake felt like anything _but…_ the human in front of here clearly had a battle hungry side that gorged itself in the slaughter, but looking into her face once more, she saw the girl who had spoken so glowingly about monsters, Beacon, and New Vale, who had promised alongside a blonde bombshell to protect her.

As Blake reached her hand out to take Ruby's, a low, dangerous rumble reached their ears, and Ruby, with a look of annoyance, slowly pulled her hand back as Blake ducked further, staring at the Grimm that had emerged from the forest behind the cadet huntress.

Much like its brethren, it was a black beast in the shape of an animal, in this case an abnormally massive bear with its boney white plates covering its back, limbs, and the top of its head, long, white spikes jutting from the top of its back. Thick paws left indents in the dirt as it slowly meandered towards them, its big yellow eyes focused on Ruby while drool ran from its fang-filled maw.

Even when Ruby drew herself up to her full height, she was only as tall as its low set head, and a single swipe would have torn Blake in half. However, despite her body being as strained as it was, Ruby held up her dual blades and bared her teeth at the Ursa Major, edging sideways to leave Blake and the nest out of its inevitable charge.

Every step the Ursa took made the earth shudder, and turning its enormous hide to face Ruby gave Blake a better look at how huge it was. She kept glancing over towards Ruby, who was taking careful steps to lead it away, her quick looks towards Blake all but hinting that she needed to run the moment she could, but they _both_ knew that couldn't happen, not with her lamed leg…

Both the girls held their breaths as they waited for the bear to make the first move, Ruby giving a flourish of her blades that made the Ursa snap at her in an almost amused manner. Blake eyed Ruby, watching as she squeezed one of her blade hilts tightly enough to make her Aura flash, and that lethal, blood-red mist began to pour off of her once more.

She was already tired, and Blake clung to the edge of the nest tightly, fearing she didn't have enough stamina remaining to fight the big Grimm, but a distant, predatory snarl brought things to a still. The Grimm lifted itself onto its hindlegs, towering over Ruby in a dominating display as its turned its head and chuffed at whatever caused the sound, and then gave a ferocious bellow as the underbrush started to rustle and shiver.

The Ursa lunged as Ruby dove to the side, its massive body nearly collapsing on top of her when something flew out from the dense woods and slammed the Ursa Major backwards into the clearing, an adult Arzuros digging its teeth straight into the Ursa's neck, as the Ursa's thick claws dug into the scales plating the front of the monster's body.

The two heavy beasts collapsed to the ground in front of Blake, who had to dig her toes into the dirt to stop herself from being shaken down the nest's decline as their weighty frames repeatedly shook the world as they rolled and crashed down on one another. The Ursa's claw swiped the Arzuros' face, sending the bear monster stumbling backwards with a fresh spurt of blood from its skull.

The Ursa pulled itself up onto its feet, and Blake quickly glanced over to where Ruby hunkered down amidst a tangle of tree roots, then looked back to the bear battle in front of her.

Whereas the Ursa looked utterly unnatural in the green forests of Vale, the Arzuros looked right at home. While most of its lower body was covered in a layer of greenish fur, its upper back, its claws, and skull was armored in thick, blue reptilian scales, with tough, spikey growths on its forelimbs that gave its powerful swipes more ' _oomph.'_ Long, thick white hairs lined the frame of its back, running along the sides of its head and meeting under its nostrils, giving it an odd, moustached look.

The bear monster looked about as large as the Ursa Major Grimm, easily as bulky and heavy, but Blake silently rooted for the monster. The beast more than likely only wanted the Grimm; if it won, it would suck up the Ursa's dying mists and walk away satisfied, but if the Grimm won, then it had a Faunus and a human it obsessively wanted dead.

It was probably the first time that Blake legitimately cared about a bear, much less a monster, but here she was, pleading alongside Ruby that the Arzuros was the one left to decide if it wanted to eat them or not.

Maybe they'd be lucky and it had eaten its fill of fish on the way over to Blake's current state of affairs, but considering how her fortune pendulumed from one end to the other as quick as the word ' _go',_ she dreaded how the dice would fall.

Two huge, ursine bodies charged, lifted on their hind legs, and crashed against one another with claws tearing into one another's shoulders, with their hind paws digging into the ground in a struggle to knock the other down. The Ursa's wider maw closed down on the Arzuros' muzzle, muffling the monster bear's pained roars.

The Arzuros' club-like foreleg came down on the Ursa's head, cracking the faceplate with one spikes clipping the Grimm's eye, causing it to step back and roar in pain, only to get a second swipe to the face that sent it to the ground with a pained groan, the Arzuros barking its triumph as it moved to get its teeth around the back of the Ursa's neck, but the downed Grimm rolled into the monster to prick its sides with its back spines, sending the two apart again to shake off their wounds as they rallied and snarled at one another.

" _GET 'EM POOH BEAR!"_ Ruby cheered from the tangle of roots, and Blake shot her an incredulous look; their ' _protector'_ deserved a far better name than that. " _GO FOR THE UNDERBELLY!"_ Ruby continued to shout, waving her dual blades like encouraging flags.

Both bears seemed confused by the girl's contributions, but then their eyes locked, and they charged each other again, both lunging with their heavy paws extended at one another.

The meaty impact of the two's collision made the two girl audience cringe. The Ursa's jaws closed around the less armored upper-arm of the Arzuros, drawing a grunt, but the monster's other paw scraped against boney plates and snapped a row of spines off the Ursa's back, before its claws caught on the underside of some of the ursa's plates and began to pull, ripping the bone from the Grimm's black hide as it snarled in pain.

With a surge forward, the Ursa pushed the Arzuros off-balance on its hind legs, releasing the Grimm to stumble backwards to try and reclaim its balance, and rather than fall onto its back to expose its vulnerable stomach, the bear monster threw its weight to the side to land flat on its belly.

From the side, Ruby could immediately tell the Arzuros was an older one by that move alone, probably having gotten used to fighting other Arzuros; the big, honey-loving bears weren't known for their smarts, but the ones that _did_ make it to old age were very protective of their often heavily scarred bellies.

Even if it wasn't a perfect advantage, the Ursa threw itself onto its downed foe, the two beasts howling at one another as the Grimm's enormous mouth closed around the back of the Arzuros' scale-covered neck, and the monster bear's howling grew louder as it struggled to stand or shake off the Ursa.

Scales began to split and break, and vulnerable flesh underneath was punched through; the Arzuros' blood ran freely down its neck as one of its claws raked the Ursa's skull, repeatedly bashing it with the thick spikes lining its forearms, but the Ursa hung on with its claws digging into the Arzuros' sides, up until a sudden, sharp pain on its back leg made it growl angrily, but then another, and _another_ along its haunches made the Ursa let the Arzuros go and stand, falling onto its back to try and crush whatever was attacking its rear.

Numerous spines shattered under its own weight, and the Ursa rolled onto its feet to quickly turn on Ruby who, protecting herself with the sharpened ends of her weapons pointed towards the Grimm, back-pedalled as the enraged Ursa stomped towards her, roaring as it built up speed to chase her down.

An acrobatic flip put Ruby to the Ursa's side before its meaty claw could knock her against a tree, and the bear Grimm suddenly lurched, trying to shove her off her side with its massive bulk. She rolled before she hit her back and ended up on her feet, and though the Ursa tried to charge her once more, it was speared to the ground by the angry Arzuros, their collective roaring masking Ruby's rapid escape towards the nest.

* * *

Yang was _damn_ sure she was going the direction Ruby had run, but that girl and her speed semblance…

She jogged at a steady clip, keeping good form as she weaved between massive, wurm-like roots growing from beneath the building-sized trees, and hopped up a series of stony outcroppings leading up a short cliffside, overlooking a ravine below that, to Yang's restrained sorrow, held the decaying corpse of a juvenile monster that had probably fallen and gotten stuck before starving to death.

It was a pitiful sight, one that Yang would have wanted to investigate further if there wasn't a more pressing problem; namely, trying to find Ruby and Blake.

The screams they'd heard had emanated a great distance away, but Yang was getting close enough that the echoing, distinct snarling of Grimm was growing louder. Ruby had bolted like a cannonball through the woods when they'd heard the screams, leaving behind a trail of rose petals that had faded and left Yang trying to catch up with just her ears.

Even if Blake had a full night's head start on them, it was unbelievable that she could have gotten far. Yang was confident they would find her, but the screaming lingering in the back of her mind, she hoped Ruby hadn't found her in pieces. Her little sister would have probably shed a few tears over the dead monster below, Yang could only imagine that finding Blake dead would be poor for Ruby's emotional state.

It's not like Yang would have been much happier… sure, she thought Blake was a complete idiot, but Blake was her responsibility, and even a few short conversations changed her pity into intrigue; she seemed pretty personable, not to mention reasonable, for a Tribesman, and Yang always appreciated a person with a good wit to them. It far better than the humorless hunters who let resentment and disappointment rot inside them while they recovered from an injury.

Huffing and puffing as she ran, Yang kept her eyes and ears open. This was _way_ different than when they were travelling as a caravan with a hunter who could easily trounce them both, she _had_ to be attentive of her surroundings. Even with the Queen roaming the skies on the hunt for larger prey, said larger _prey_ was still often big, hungry, and liked the taste of people; without her auntie around, it was up to her to keep herself safe!

Yang's run slowed, just enough for her to pivot on her toes and turn her head. The bushes to her left quivered, she heard something kick up dirt behind it, and she dove onto her stomach as something launched itself over her head with a hideous squeal.

She held her head as whatever tried to tackle her slammed into the tree hard enough to spray her with splinters, and she jumped up to her feet, quickly spinning to unsheath and swing her hunting horn, hitting nothing but air, but that was exactly what she needed; air was sucked into the horn's imbedded bladder, a low whine escaping the weapon before the horn slowed and the pressure seal clicked shut.

Even if she was about to make a break for it, it was always better to have a little gas in the chamber in case she had to defend herself.

The cadet huntress gave a groan of distaste as she watched a black and white pig unfurl itself from the ground, and a sigh escaped her as the boarbatusk stood up on its hooves and rounded on her with a low, hateful squeal, bucking its huge tusks at her as a promise of a painful death.

It charged at her with a scream, and slammed into the dirt with a bone-rattling crunch as the spiked head of Yang's horn left it dissipating in a small crater. Yang lifted her horn with a grunt, resting its neck across her shoulder with a cocked eyebrow; Grimm were both a good sign and a bad omen, she was probably on the right path, but her sister and the cat were probably in trouble.

She shrugged; it figured it would come down to her to save the day again~!

While she moved her horn to her back to go on the run again, she paused as she heard growling erupt around her. Yang pursed her lips, and held her weapon at the ready as she stalked towards the sounds of fighting. Was she really that worried…? Her mind flashed to the dead monster in the ravine, and she grimaced; yeah, all that she could think about was what would happen if she was too late.

Without Ruby and auntie to keep her in check, her mind ran through a number of dire possibilities, and since she wasn't in civilization, where her worries could be dampened by a generally civil atmosphere, the Grimm were buzzing about her. She didn't feel out of it enough to have spawned them, so these must have been stragglers that were meandering the woods, following the scent of worry straight to Yang.

That could only mean she was getting close to whoever spawned them.

She breathed a soft breath, and reminded herself: Ruby was a huntress; a cadet, certainly, but she wasn't a greenhorn either, they had trained with their family, their family friends, and with each other since the day they could walk. They would be fine, especially against a handful of Grimm that were too ballsy for their own good.

The horn spun almost artfully around Yang as she twirled back, winding up a swing that sent a lunging Beowolf splattering against a distant tree, her horn whining the whole time. She could feel it getting marginally heavier as the air sack inside swelled with every swing, and with a cocky grin, a small, spineless Ursa Minor loping towards her with its teeth grit was sent spinning artfully through the air with an agonized wail, a spray of boney chips proving how ineffective its armor was against _her._

Something heavy rumbled through the underbrush, and Yang caught sight of a bulbous yellow stinger hanging off a long, black tail charging towards her, flanked by several figures leaving shimmering trails through the underbrush towards her. A Deathstalker and some Creeps, hm?

Yang cooled herself with a deep breath, then put on a big smile; finally, a _real_ audience.

" _This one goes out to the big black bastards that are tryin'a kill me!"_ Yang's voice thundered as a scorpion bigger than an adult Aptonoth skittered around the trees, pincers primed and ready as the Creeps following it charged at Yang with hungry howls. " _I call this one:_ 'Gimme a _Fuckin'_ Break!'"

The first of the Creeps leapt through the air at her to tackle her off her feet, only to get turned into a black smear across tree bark as the heavy horn's head intercepted it in midair, the club held aloft by Yang's outstretched arms as her fingers dug into the buttons lining the end of the haft.

The pressure seal opened, Yang's yellow Aura shimmered down the weapon, and the eruption of sound that escaped sent a wave of force through the forest that made the branches and leaves shake above, the bushes around them quiver as the pressure wave passed through them, and tree bark cracked and collapsed from the powerful force. The immense _noise_ the horn made was like an elder dragon's berserk howl, so loud and ferocious that, in the distance, the Queen of the Mountain abandoned its meal and took flight to observe its territory for a competitor.

The Creeps were blown across the clearing, some left as little more than stains against the trees, while the Deathstalker… hesitated. If the thing had eardrums, they were more than likely blown out, but knowing Grimm anatomy wasn't the greatest of Yang's priorities. The stunned scorpion tried to lift its natural weaponry defensively, but the wind had been taken out of its murderous sails, and now… now Yang _glowed._

The power of the monsters that had been slain to create the weapon in her hands had been summoned by the powerful roar, the magics that had surged through them in life distilled in the forge and set to be released by the trumpeting music Yang created, and fill her with their strength entwined with her own.

The big, demonic scorpion snipped at her threateningly, its dangerous tail waving at the huntress as she readied her weapon, and filled to bursting with adrenaline and power, _charged._

Rushing the beast in a straight line was an idiotic move, one that allowed the Deathstalker to ground itself and line up its stinger, but the moment it thrust the venomous tip at the blonde huntress, she was gone. The Deathstalker chittered in surprise at the disappearance of its prey, quickly whirling about to look for the human it had been so hungry to kill, but it failed to look up.

Yang released the rope attached to her wrist-mounted slinger, leaving it and the grappling hook in the branches above as she fell towards the Grimm below, still shining with her musically-enhanced strength while the full weight of her club came down on its mid back.

The ground shook, the trees groaned, and the silence that followed the gratuitous ' _crunch'_ was satisfying. Yang stood, taking a deep breath as the power of the hunting horn dissipated off her, and the Deathstalker's dying mists filled the former battleground.

With her horn on her back, Yang jogged ahead to where she'd heard the howling from before, intent on finding where her sister and their dumbass of a patient had gone.

She tore through the greenery and followed her ears towards the scuffle, and came to a halt as she spied a sunny clearing, where the smell of blood permeated from like a slaughter barn. She slid behind one of the trees and poked her head out to see what was happening.

An Arzuros panted heavily, its huge tongue lolling out of its mouth, a scrap of its scaled skin hanging loose off its neck and dribbling blood all over the already deluged dirt. It held up one of its paws, several toes missing from the limb, and the rest of its body was covered in cuts and gouges.

Across from it, and Ursa Major growled weakly, its skull and numerous back plates cracked and missing pieces, nearly all of its spines crushed, and a large, open red wound on its side. Though the Grimm did not bleed, a black mist poured out of the red void that seemed to make up the interior of its body. It had been a bloody and even fight, it seemed, but neither of the beasts seemed ready to relent.

Yang's brow furrowed; why would a Grimm pursue a fight with a monster? The Grimm should have been trying to lope away from an unsure fight; the Arzuros made sense, it wanted to _eat,_ but the Grimm—…

As the two bears crashed against one another, howling and snarling, teeth and claws trying to tear the other asunder, Yang examined the clearing. The Grimm wouldn't care about the trampled Gargwa corpses, which didn't look _nearly_ as torn apart as they should have if the Arzuros did the deed. She scanned one of the trees with enormous roots exposed to the air like the back of an enormous sea serpent, and saw the dirt piled up around an entry hole, where two pairs of eyes–one set silver, the other gold–peeked out.

The hunting horn was quietly removed from Yang's back, and Yang carefully pressed a series of switches to get the sound she needed: a high-pitched keening that would certainly annoy the fighting monsters if they took their attention off each other, but what was important was that it was _unique._ Yang stuck her head out and fluttered her golden hair as the strange noise played, watching as those silver eyes widened in recognition, then quickly looked for the source of the noise and found the wriggling hair of her older sister.

Their eyes met, and the sisters grinned at one another.

The Ursa stood tall on its hindlegs, trying to push its weight down on the sturdy Arzuros to crush it to the ground, but from the copse of trees surrounding their fight, a rock the size of a fist flew out and scored a blow on the Grimm's open side wound, making it roar in pain before getting shoved to the ground by the hungry Arzuros.

The distraction assured, Yang sprinted across the open ground and slid in close to the two hidden girls, her hand extended. "Found myself a pair of funny lookin' Gargwa!" She teased as Ruby grabbed her hand, and with a simple flex and pull, Ruby popped out like a fish from a river.

"What'd you run into out there?! The whole forest heard you roar!" Ruby asked, sliding out on her armored knees. Blake stared at the blonde cadet in shock as Yang passed over a pair of balls of tightly packed dung to Ruby, who loaded her sling with one and bagged the other.

"That was you?!" Blake asked, Ruby taking a quick quaff of a smaller, less-rich health potion to help restore some of the Aura she'd lost.

"Yup!" Yang glanced over her shoulder at the two fighting bears, then reached her hands out to Blake. "You're all surprised, so I'm guessing not too hurt?" Blake paled, her hands filling Yang's as she was carefully pulled out. The blonde's hands were calloused and rough, but her strength was undeniable, and Blake couldn't help but feel teeny tiny as she was dragged into her arms. Yang immediately saw the further damages done to the girl's wounded leg as she sat on the ground with a grimace, and gave a small, pitying sigh. "Could've avoided this if you'd stuck around."

"Yeah, I'm realizing that." Blake glared, and Yang's wry smile only exhausted her further. She was internally debating whether or not admitting she was wrong was more painful than dying...

A furious roar distracted the three from each other,quickly glancing in the direction of the monstrous brawl happening, and they saw the Arzuros on its side, bellowing in pain, one of its legs bleeding profusely as the Ursa pulled itself up on all fours and turned its hateful red eyes on the girls.

Yang pushed Blake low to the ground and stood immediately, lifting her horn up as Ruby twirled her blades, the both of them moving forward to stand between the Ursa and the Faunus. Blake felt her whole body turn cold as she realized they'd be breaking out into another fight, and she was unconfident that she'd survive further brushes with death.

This time, however, she had a different advantage. With a shaky breath, she read the tense, flexing outlines of the two humans who had come to her rescue, and her breathing slowed… even now, with a Grimm in their faces? Stupid heroic girls and their stupidly likable _faces._

Ignoring its opponent, the Ursa focused on its goal, and with a charge fueled by the anger of a no holds bar battle for territory and food, it closed the gap with a bone-chilling roar, dirt flying from beneath its paws with each step.

Yang ran forward to meet it head on, and Ruby rushed off to the side with Blake in her arms. Yang held the haft of her horn out towards the Ursa, her mighty strength contesting the bear's as its maw closed around the weapon's midsection, pushing against her with all of its weight to bowl her over and kill her on the ground. However, despite being significantly smaller, Yang had an advantage the Grimm didn't: Aura.

The golden light that surged around her kept its lashing claws from puncturing her skin, while letting her stand her ground with grit teeth, barely managing to keep the Major from throwing her to the ground. She grouchily compared herself to her father, who would have easily met the Major's charge and flung it across the clearing by now, but _noooo,_ she ' _still had a ways to go,'_ and some such.

Ruby put Blake down a little more roughly than she'd intended, and raced back towards the battle with her twin blades held in a reverse grip, her red Aura springing to life. Blake rubbed her bruised rear and watched with escalating worry as she saw that bloody, red mist begin to leak off her again, but it was much more faint, and Ruby was sweating much more; the strain it put on her must have been exhausting, and Blake felt a pit of guilt open up as she realized _she_ was the one that pushed the girl to expend all her strength protecting her.

With a small sniff of self-annoyance and pity, Blake watched with a curled fist, hoping it would be enough. She… very much did not want to see either girl die. The realization made her jaw tighten, and her eyes widen. They were still two Aura-clad hunters, they were still strong, and she was dragging them down, but still… still, they tried for her sake, and it made her swallow thickly with emotion.

A wide slash to the wound the Arzuros had left behind made the Ursa bray in pain, but it did not stop the Grimm from whipping to the side and lashing out with one of its heavy claws, sending Ruby tumbling away with a shout. Yang jabbed the Ursa with the pointed handle of her weapon, but all it did was get her pushed back for her efforts.

When Ruby pushed herself up onto her feet to charge back in, Blake's eyes caught sight of a glass bottle that had rolled out of her equipment, filled with a green liquid…

Well… she had gotten this far fighting for herself, and now…? Now she had people trying to help her, a pair of _humans_ putting their _all_ into fending off the Grimm while she laid there, useless and wounded.

The irony left her breathless with rage as she stared at the girls hounding the Ursa, constantly drawing it away from Blake, and she curled her lips backwards. She had caused them enough trouble already, and the Ursa had enough fight in it to make the girls struggle. She recalled the warning Glynda had given her, and huffed in annoyance; she wasn't about to prove that Restree midget _right_ in letting these girls get hurt because of _her._

They were already better than her old Tribemates… it was time to pay them back, if only a little.

Watching the fight with a look of uncertainty, she glanced over the lost potion, and then to the wounded Arzuros… the bear had had a better run of it than Ruby and Yang currently, but Blake could feel her will curdling as she stared at the sharp claws and teeth…

No, she _had to._ She had to do something, _anything,_ even if it meant putting herself in a little more danger. If only to return the favor of them being idiots trying to rescue her from her own idiocy.

Ignoring the protesting in her leg, the Faunus rapidly crawled towards the potion left on the ground, wincing as pins and needles travelled all up the wounded side of her body, but she couldn't give in here…

They were almost safe, they just needed the scales tipped a little further in their favor.

Potion in hand, Blake dragged herself over to the heavily panting, wounded Arzuros, who regarded her with beady black eyes and a growl of warning. Blake, however, ignored the way it tried to roll up and snap at her; instead uncorking the potion and giving the stupid bear a glare. " _Don't waste this."_ She hissed, and the Arzuros flailed as the healing drink was poured onto its lolling tongue, then paused as it recognized the taste of honey within.

Blake put the potion down in front of it, and the tired bear dragged itself over to the bottle to close its jaws around the glass and tip it up, its tongue scooping as much of the healing liquid down its throat as Blake quickly pulled herself away.

She hoped it would help the monster recover quickly enough, but as Yang was thrown onto its back, the slobbering Grimm trying to crawl onto her to bite her head and only meeting a roaring Ruby as an obstacle, Blake didn't have much hope that it would be quick enough…

Her eyes frantically searched the clearing for something else; had Ruby dropped one of those dung pods? Was there _anything…?_ Without warning, she recalled something her mother had told her about surviving the wilds, a conversation she had always taken to heart when she travelled on her own: ' _If you don't know what to do, look up.'_

Blake did, and amidst the branches and leaves above was a tangle of vines above the bear, and along them, a growing series of branches and pods. With a quick look around herself, she found a rock, nice and round, and a smile of grim determination crossed her face.

The rock flew from her hand, and struck the pods amidst the tangle, and she watched the bulbous cluster of nuts fall free from their broken containers.

Yang hopped to her feet, back-pedalling as the Ursa tossed Ruby aside, and it lumbered towards the blonde with its drooling maw hanging open in anticipation. Yang only became aware of something falling overhead a moment before the scatternuts fell on the bear's head, their shells cracking and releasing the pressurized air trapped within to pop rapidly around the Ursa's eyes and ears, the series of snaps and cracks making the Ursa freeze and bite at the air in confusion, stunned by the sudden sounds erupting around it.

It was all Yang needed.

Her hunting horn swung into the side of the distracted Ursa Major's head, drawing a pained wail as the dulled spikes lining the head dug into its broken skull plate, and then it released the little air it had gathered into the side of its face, the loud, sudden noise rattling its senses from the sonic pain, and sending it aggressively charging the tree over the Gargwa nest and headbutt the bark, stunned, and unable to properly defend itself.

As soon as she realized what happened, Ruby slid to its side, spinning, twirling, all but dancing as one smooth cut was followed by another, a dozen slicing strikes widening the wound the Arzuros had left, and leaving the Ursa stumbling in Ruby's direction to stop her assault and _kill her,_ but the girl was long gone, moving towards its back as Yang focused blow after blow on the bear Grimm's head, neck, and back.

When it tried to move towards the blonde, she quickly dove away from its swipes, drawing it away from Ruby as she took it out towards the middle of the clearing, Ruby slicing open its relatively unharmed back legs with her hatchets as it lost focus on who to kill.

It spun, claws swinging wildly in Ruby's direction, but she had twirled out of range as Yang swung once, drawing a howl, and then twice, smashing its rear leg, breaking it by focusing on the wounds Ruby had left. The Ursa slumped, bellowing in pain and anguish, too slow to charge either girl with its wounded legs, and with powerful, blunt blows crushing its armor, and rapid slices making it painful to move, it was no difficult feat for the recovered, angry Arzuros to throw itself onto the downed Ursa and bite into its neck.

Ruby and Yang hovered around Blake, lifting her onto Yang's back as they watched the Ursa's throat open up in the monster bear's teeth, and despite being covered in its own blood, its wounds seemed to have become little more than scratches and bruises. The Arzuros bellowed in triumph and sucked up the dying cloud of Grimmstuff, the darkness disappearing into its hide.

Sated, the beast turned its head towards the three girls, the two cadets holding up their dung-filled slingers to drive it away, but the Arzuros kept turning to limp over to the dead Gargwa.

It feasted, eating both meat and Grimm, and Ruby and Yang–now wearing Blake like a backpack–took the chance to leave, speeding away with their patient.

* * *

Had _all_ of it been a lie?

As exhausted as she was, Blake felt angrier than ever. She had _chosen_ to go off on her own into danger, and had done so at the expense of her saviors; she had _chosen_ to abandon them of her own volition, and they still came for her despite not knowing her, despite not having reason to care for her, despite the fact that she was a _Tribesman._

They had gotten hurt, they had wasted their equipment, they had gotten caught up in her problems despite having no reason to, because they said she was their _responsibility._ And even if such a declaration could come off as demeaning, they treated her carefully, spoke to her like a person, like a fellow _human,_ and took steps to ensure her health.

If she was to do nothing more than spend her days as their plaything, they still treated her with far more care and worry than her old packmates…

There was still a worry, of course, that she truly was meant to serve the humans, but the girls' constant reassurances and, finally, their rescue of her made that idea feel less and less like a reality. What slaver would risk their lives just for a suicidal captive? She grit her teeth with distaste at the idea, but had to acknowledge that it was still there, even if she'd lost the will to cling to it as some sort of defense against the constant kindness displayed towards her.

Good, evil, who was who anymore? Her people, who she long fought alongside and cared for, abandoned her to save their own skins… these two random, idiot girls threw caution to the wind to save her from a miserable death.

… The blonde one's hair felt good to snuggle, too, but that wasn't a deciding factor!

She tightened her arms around the cadet huntress' shoulders, closing her eyes as she listened to them huff and run, Ruby running ahead of Yang and listening for signs of other dangers. Her leg ached, her body feeling so heavy now that all the adrenaline had fled her veins. She was tired, she was angry, but she was safe, and that made her all the more frustrated.

Blake was fine with giving up now. Her determination did not drive her to her home, to safety, or to justice, it had only gotten her in danger, nearly killed like an idiot. She was humiliated to discover that she was a fool, but relieved that she hadn't paid the ultimate price for it. She would live to regret this day, and maybe every other day for the rest of her life, but she still _lived…_

She'd once heard that a person's greatest goal was to strive and be better than who they were the day before; spitefully, she wished to go to the Blake from the night before and kick her in the face, if only for how much she'd suffered. And to think it was probably still in the morning…

Her eyes closed slowly, and she tried to release everything she was feeling and give herself back to the void, an attempt her body was all too happy to reciprocate, and she slowly became numb to Yang's bumpy, rapid jog.

She didn't know how much time had passed since she'd closed her eyes, but the sudden rise in heat and brightness made her eyes flicker open. They'd made it out of the woods…? She lifted her head to stare out at the distant, rolling waves of the lake they had camped by, and heard Yang laugh as she was bounced on her back.

She stared ahead, towards an Aptonoth and a wagon, where Ruby was racing forward with both of her weapons waving excitedly at the approaching Scout Master.

Blake fluttered her eyelids, watching as the woman smacked Ruby's head, growling at her for running while waving her weapons, and with a frown, Blake pushed her face back into Yang's blonde mane.

"The both of you are well? No injuries?" The older woman asked.

"Nothing our Auras didn't handle." Yang answered.

"And Blake?"

"In one piece!" Blake tightened up as Yang bounced her on her back. "She got herself chewed up though, kinda."

"She is _covered_ in blood."

"I'm pretty sure not all of it's hers."

"... Take her to the cart."

Yang did as ordered. Blake was lifted off her back and, carefully as could be, laid out in the back of the cart on top of the blanket she'd been under the whole ride. While Blake had tired of the cart on the ride to the lakeside, she was fairly glad to be back in it after everything that had happened since. She was hesitant to meet Glynda's gaze, but as the Scout Master hovered over her and examined her leg, her cuts, and her bruises, their eyes inevitably met.

The older woman paused in her examination as they stared at one another, and Blake's ears flattened; she was being judged, and of course she _deserved_ it. She was more than a little surprised when a finger was held up in front of her face, moving back and forth, her eyes instinctively following it, and then she recoiled as the woman's hand pressed to her forehead.

"No fever, and you're fully aware." Glynda noted, and Blake huffed, watching her open up a first aid bag to take out some sterilizing alcohol and fresh bandages… as well as a small, adhesive strip. She stared at the tiny bandaid curiously, wondering which of her many minor wounds the woman was focusing on, and then crumpled with a yelp as a karate chop to her forehead made it burst into pain.

She blinked through the moisture that filled her eyes, then winced as the bandaid was slapped onto the bruise that was left, and found the Scout Master _glaring_ at her.

"Consider that the _beginning_ of your punishment for this ridiculous attempt of yours; when we get home, I'll find you something suitably _useful_ to do." Glynda grumbled, and Blake worked her jaw, wondering if that meant she _would_ be breaking rocks until the Scout Master continued to growl. "You should be damned proud you didn't take anything else from us, otherwise I'd consider you for jail time as opposed to _filing paperwork."_

The enunciated threat made Blake's ear twitch in puzzlement, but both Ruby and Yang looked suitable horrified by the prospect.

"Do you have _anything_ to say for yourself?!" Glynda demanded, undoing the white bandages around her leg, grimacing at the further damages done, but was quick to unwind a new roll and get to work.

Blake stared at the woman, and then past her to Ruby and Yang. It had been a bad morning, full of stupid decisions and regrets, but they were all alive, and the fright she had felt as the Grimm had swarmed her, or the sorrow she felt recalling her old pack leaving her behind… it was fading.

She was still angry at her Tribesmates, but less so at these girls. She wanted to believe they had her best interests in mind, and the Scout Master as well. She may have been too tired to plot for justice and vengeance, but she at least felt an unmitigated sense of comfort being back with these three people.

They wouldn't try to kill her, or hurt her, at least that's what they claimed.

"Thanks." Blake said, just loudly enough for them to hear. They straightened up in surprise, but Ruby bobbed her head, racing over to take her hand with one of those sunny, innocent little smiles.

"You're _welcome!"_ She said, her tone full of warmth.

"Yeah, kitty, it's no biggie." Yang shrugged her shoulders, hovering near her sister with a grin.

Maybe she'd ride this one out, see New Vale, and get her leg fixed. Then she would head north to see to her tribe… but until then, the Scout Master finished wrapping her leg up, and she was fed one more potion. The taste was starting to grate due to the frequency, she would be glad to have something other than herbs and honey to gulp down, but for now, it eased her aches and pains, and let her close her eyes.

* * *

Blake came to to the sound of her own panting, her vision an indecipherable blur. Her body was heavy, but surrounded by warmth, and a lot of soft at that. One of her legs responded to her attempt to lift it, while the broken one refused to move…

Her panting became faster, following the tail end of a dream where she was hounded by snarling darkness, her voice too weak to reach the ears of a red and yellow figure racing ahead through the dark, forest brush as the darkness closed in on her… she pushed her torso forward, gasping as she tried to reclaim control of her body, but she felt so _heavy…_

Adrenaline started to pump through her as she tried to fight against her unknown situation, and slowly her eyes began to clear. She lifted her arms, the both of them flopping limply about until a surge of feeling ran through them, the discomfort of her body regaining its sense of feeling making her grit her teeth and shiver until the pain was over.

Her hand awkwardly slid up to her face to wipe her eyes, and finally her brain seemed to activate, her vision clearing, then focusing as she kicked at something wrapped around her good leg. Her ears perked at the sound of something falling to the floor, and finally… finally she could see, and understand.

She laid in bed in a fresh set of white underclothing, her leg suspended in the air by cloth and wires, keeping it from moving while also straightening it out. Her broken knee _burned,_ enough so for a few hot tears to dribble from her eyes, but the pain subsided slowly.

It was odd that she didn't have a blanket on her, but then she turned her head to look over the side of the bed and see where she'd kicked the cover off. "Ah…" She mumbled, her throat feeling somewhat swollen, but not so much she couldn't breath.

Thinking about it, where was she?

She turned her head to examine the dark, wooden room she was in. It was fairly large, but she was the only person in the room, in the only bed against the exact middle of a wall, while several cabinets and shelves on the other side of the room were filled with glassware, liquids, powders, and rolls of bandages. Some sort of medical room? It was nicer than the ones back in Old Vale…

There was a door as far to the right from her as it could be, and to her left, a window in the wall, allowing sunlight to stream in, letting her see distant blue sky and white clouds. She blinked slowly, looking to her left, where a single, tiny, empty nightstand sat, and Blake pursed her lips.

Was this New Vale? Had she fallen asleep long enough for them to enter without her realizing it…? Curiosity buzzed inside of her, as did fear of the unknown. She glanced over to her leg, hung in the air by the cloth, so heavily wrapped in bandages that she could barely wiggle her toes, and came to a decision.

Sitting up, she wrapped both of her arms underneath her thigh, and slowly leaned back, lifting the leg as carefully as she could out of its bindings. It was a lot more work than it seemed like, even after having only just woken up, and laying it back down next to her still functioning leg gave her a moment to sit up and pant, staring at her feet.

She didn't hurt as badly as she did before, so that was good, and she was properly wrapped up to be healed, so that was nice… she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and tenderly put one foot on the ground. She grabbed the nearby nightstand, and used it to carefully walk her way over to the window, trying to keep her other–heavier, unbending, currently aching–leg off the ground.

It was a great deal more effort than it seemed, but Blake persisted; if she learned anything about herself over the past week, it was that even broken limbs wouldn't stop her from doing something stupid.

Leaning on the nightstand, Blake found the window latch and pushed the glass outwards, and was immediately met with a cool breeze that smelled of water and salt spray, that tickled her cheeks almost playfully as she blinked rapidly in the sudden burst of light.

As she got used to the light, her ears perked and turned towards the sound of the sea, the birds that chirped, the indistinct, distant sounds of people, numerous, _numerous_ people _talking,_ shouting, and laughing. She heard the creaking of wood, the sound of metal rhythmically banging against metal, the rustle of cloth in the breeze, and the clashing of weaponry.

Her eyes cleared, and she stared down, down, _down,_ and her breath caught as she realized how high up she was. Forty feet below, she saw a wood-floored training yard filled with people in different colors and shapes of armor, swinging their weapons in tandem with the shouts of a man leading them up front, a crowd around them watching, or moving to one of the other buildings lining the open training area.

Mernos perched on top of wooden beams that jut out from the sides of the wall buildings, honking and flapping leathery wings, flying from perch to perch, catching large insects out of the air and devouring them before they could descend on the people below.

Across from where Blake stared out the window, there was a slightly shorter building with fencing built around the edges of its rooftop, where she saw a green-haired man passionately orating in front of a seated crowd of what appeared to be young hunters and scholars, his hand waving wildly as his dark brown robe fluttered in the wind.

Looking past the training yard, Blake saw a long staircase that sloped down the mountainside this place had been built on. The wooden stairs travelled downwards, towards the base of the mountain, and the sprawling coast where there seemed to be an uncountable number of wooden buildings with sloped roofs were built. She saw people in dozens of different colors of clothing milling about far in the distance, indistinguishable from each other, yet standing out amidst the brown wood and gray stone.

It sprawled out, framing a long stretch of blue ocean, so vast that Blake had to lean her upper body out to see both ends of the city in the far distance. The higher the buildings were up the mountain, the smaller and closer together they were built, but appeared to be made of a more sturdy material, whereas the closer the buildings were to the ocean, the buildings were larger, with more space in between them, and in some of those open spaces large rugs lined the wooden footpaths, and enormous, colorful tarps shaded the vendors and merchants underneath.

Far out in the ocean, Blake could see boats, both big and small floating peacefully on the gentle waters, casting out lines and trawling nets behind them, while the large passenger ships went for any one of the numerous docks that marked the edge of the city's encroachment of the ocean.

Blake's breath caught. This place was a massive, sprawling civilization, above the ground, yet seemingly unafraid and untouched by the dangers the monsters presented. It was bright, full of moving people and distant activity, with the smaller, more placid monsters fluttering about on rooftops, carrying away scraps of food or stray straw, rope, and cloth.

Looking away from the city to the plaza below, she could see a number of young men and women in their daily training, grunting, laughing, sometimes chattering before they were reprimanded for socializing.

Blake lifted her nose to smell the ocean, cooking food from below, and fire and ash from the smokestacks of forges… this was not a city of rampant fear, itching anxiety, or boiling anger, this was not a place where the monsters crept around the corners, or the Grimm threatened to overrun at the smallest whimper of dismay.

She didn't know what this place was; it was busy, full of noises, sights, and sounds, and yet it wasn't frightening, she wasn't worried by what she felt or saw… She had never seen anything like this. Her own home was a place or relief, but often not of merriment, or of _noise._

The Khan Tribe eked out a living amidst the ruins of Old Vale, but this place, so full of stimulation and wonderment, leaving her with so many questions and curiosities she felt no shame in feeling. She wanted to stretch her arms out and take it all, to try and understand it then and now…

She had so many questions, she didn't know where to begin…

Perhaps the stories of New Vale were true?

* * *

 **AN:** Hello everybody! I want to thank everyone for reading, but in addition, share some helpful information: on SpaceBattles, where linking pictures and videos is allowed, I am posting a secondary section I'm referring to as _'Penny's Notes',_ where I provide references to the monsters and fighting styles of Monster Hunter for readers at the end of each chapter. I'm not asking you to abandon this website for SpaceBattles, but if you need a visual reference to understand what our heroes are encountering, search for the story there under my other pseudonym: Kaith.


	5. Chapter 5

The ache in Blake's leg had turned into a dull throb now. It never ceased to remind her of her predicament, but she did not mourn the loss of her mobility, not at the moment.

Her bandaged up leg hung on the inside of her room, its additional weight keeping her balanced out as her other, bare lung hung out in the open air above the training plaza below. She sat on the windowsill, back against the frame as she stared out over this city…

It wasn't like Old Vale, which always seemed so mournfully grey; even on the sunny, blue days. The wooden buildings of New Vale weren't so sturdily constructed, seeing as they weren't made of stone, but they weren't broken and dirty, nor covered in creepers, or serving as monster dens, or bird's nests, or rat colonies…

And New Vale was full. The noise that came from below was oddly comforting, like when she would step into the always packed common rooms of the Tribe's underground tunnels and hear the buzzing conversation of people who felt safe, well fed, and open about their humor and feelings. There were so many people ducking in and out of view amidst the woven canopies strung over the streets, or walking into buildings, only for others to walk out.

The breeze wasn't tainted with the smell of rotting fish, monster feces, or the blood of some distant, dead thing. New Vale was… thriving. Blake had very tentatively used that word to describe the tribe to her mother, as she observed formerly broken Faunus reach out to one another and form relationships. She had the same feeling as whenever she helped out in their clinics and she got to peek into the cribs of their newborn tribesmen, and she had this feeling that they were growing…

Her home wasn't devoid of hope, but it came sparingly, usually with meals, new acquisitions, and the loss of a fanatical enemy. This place, New Vale, seemed to brim with an ease of life and an energy she had never felt before; everyone was moving places, doing _something,_ and from little she could see from up on high, trading good over rows of stalls seemingly in every other street…

It was a human thing, her mother had told her, that they thrived on the exchange of goods and services… and Faunus. Blake swallowed thickly, and tried to focus her vision to spot ears or tails among the populace, but they were too far away for her to notice any fine details.

Blake always thought of the story her mother had told her whenever she would have to deal with humans. She was told that Sienna and her sisters were not the products of love, that their mother had been the plaything of the very lord who Sienna had eventually been forced to serve under.

The warlord lived near Old Vale, and frequently had his human soldiers raid the dessicated city for goods to be traded, and targeted Faunus to be captured for labor, with the females used for… _other_ labors. Sienna told her that no Faunus was spared abuse under the hand of the lord, who saw it fit to break their spirits to ensure frightful compliance under even the most damning conditions, and while the human settlement _did_ grow, its unsettled workforce was its weakness.

Blake did not sense unsettlement up in her hospital room, looking down at the city. She did not sense an entire force of people willing to trade out their surroundings for revenge, but it was hard to determine what anybody thought or felt without going down there.

The impulse itched, but this one she denied. She had put herself through so much, her leg constantly under maintenance from the continued stress, so she decided, for now, she would do the _boring_ thing and comply. She silently hoped she would be able to see more and take in the city in person, but… she still feared.

She feared what would happen to her once she was well, or even between then and now. After all, she was a _Tribesman,_ and if the angry midget at Restree had been any indicator of the attitudes New Vale had towards Tribesmen, then she was likely to find herself imprisoned.

… Maybe a walk wouldn't hurt, assuming she could shuffle fast enough.

With a sigh, Blake decided against further harming herself. She wasn't sure _now_ that her leg would fully heal, but she wouldn't be doing herself any favors if she _kept_ breaking it; at some point, she imagined, even Ruby and Yang would run out of empathy and probably take her leg _away_ before she could hurt herself again.

Blake set a hand on her bandaged thigh, and smirked at the thought of the two sisters. It was weird that even a passing thought of their grins made Blake feel warm; they really thought they were some incredible shit, and with what they got away with…? Blake thought she was a reasonable fighter–at least, when she had a good leg to stand on. Those two were on a different level, but were they better than Adam? It was hard to say.

She crossed her arms in thought; would they come visit her? She hoped so, but a part of her dreaded it as well. It felt hypocritical to be afraid of her saviors, but the longer they stuck around, the more they did for her… the easier it was to be unafraid of them, and think that, maybe, humanity had its upsides. It wasn't as if all Faunus were perfect, some of them were disgusting traitors, some loathsome cowards, all of them making her lips peel back in a snarl…

Sienna had always told her that, to keep hope in the darkest of times, she had to count her blessings, and seeing the city below felt like a blessing. She was far from home, but had this sight to take in; she'd lost trust in her comrades, but gained faith in new friends; her dearly held beliefs on humans and Faunus had been shaken up, but now she… now she could…

Her face screwed up in thought, a pit forming in her stomach; _could_ she trust humanity? Was New Vale _really_ all that different? It couldn't have been, could it…? The doubts were creeping back in, and Blake felt her eyes and her heart sink together. No matter what they claimed, she couldn't believe every last one of them was good…

Just the ones that proved themselves.

Blake eased her thoughts, not wanting to push herself into an existential panic right away, not when she was enjoying the opportunity to relax after the hell she'd been through. Her stomach _did_ gurgle, especially at the smell of cooking food from below, but it was better to be comfortable and hungry than lost in the woods and starving...

She'd just about closed her eyes to drift off to sleep when she heard the door to the room click open, and she quickly lifted her eyes to stare as three figures entered the room. The first was a woman in white robes, her face lined with wrinkles of age, and her brown hair pulled back in a bun by a ribbon, and a belt with a brown satchel hung in front of her thighs, with two pouches on each side of the larger bag.

The woman was staring at the bed that Blake was supposed to be filling, but confusion crossed her face as she saw it empty, then straightening in a panic as she quickly shuffled over to the empty mattress. "She was right here sir, I swear! The bed's still warm, she couldn't have gone far!" She announced quickly, and then–and only then–scanning the room.

She met Blake's eyes, and seemed ready to let loose a breath of relief that she hadn't lost her patient, when it finally caught up to her where Blake was resting. The woman's screech of fright nearly bowled Blake out the window, but the Faunus' insight in keeping her heavier half inside the room proved fortuitous, as she managed to right herself just in time for a pair of angry fists to drag her into the room by her forearms.

Her leg almost brushed the floor, but the hands wrapped around her arms seemed as strong as the monsters, as Blake was held aloft, her back against the nearby wall, staring down in a blinding panic as she struggled and kicked, but the person holding her was protected by her rust-red Aura.

" _Let go! Let go of me!"_ Blake shouted, her mind racing as she furiously wriggled and shook.

"Fight all you want, _Khan,_ you aren't getting out anytime soon!" The fingers around her arms tightened, and she stared down into the cruel smile of a woman, of… of…?

Blake stopped fighting so much, hanging in her grip limply, staring at the woman's face. " _Yang?"_ She asked in surprise.

' _Yang's'_ brow wrinkled in annoyance, her red eyes portending a violent threat at the girl, while her messy black mane of hair seemed to bristle as her head tilted, then her hand closed around Blake's throat. The Faunus gagged as she felt her esophagus forcibly tightened, her vision blurring as the pain brought tears to her eyes, but she could make out the fist ' _Yang'_ had cocked back. She grit her teeth in defiance, expecting a set of knuckles to bury themselves in her face.

"That's enough, Lieutenant!" A voice interrupted what was about to be a violent exchange, and the grip around Blake's throat loosened, but not enough to drop her. Blake wrapped one hand around ' _Lieutenant Jerkface Yang's'_ wrist, the other wiping her eyes.

On a second look, ' _Lieutenant Asshat Yang'_ wasn't as pretty as the real deal; the crow's feet around her eyes and her sunken cheeks gave her a much less lively look. Still beautiful, sure, but compared to Yang's youth and much more blatant femininity, ' _Lieutenant Wannabe Yang'_ was a pale imitation.

"Hmph." ' _Lieutenant Bitchpants Yang'_ grunted, dropping Blake spitefully. The Faunus gasped as her covered leg bounced on the floor and nearly slid out from under her, but she quickly threw herself back against the wall and anchored herself on her still good foot, wincing as painful pins and needles ran up her leg. She half expected a sucker punch as she stared down at the floor, concentrating on keeping balance, but instead found a pair of armored legs replacing ' _Lieutenant Dickhead Yang's'_ black and red scaled ensemble.

She slowly looked up the body of a tall, broad-shouldered man, his face one of perfectly placid seriousness, as if this was business as usual, but business to be taken seriously nonetheless. This man, whoever he was, was clearly a human; his most defining features were his white skin, chiseled jaw, and the well-kept, short brown hair that greyed along the sides.

He wore a rather unimpressive set of undecorated armor: a simple, pale-green metal breastplate, with matching pauldrons, gauntlets, and greaves worn over plain brown leather. The intimidating, almost cold look he gave her wasn't matched by the simplicity of his armor, but the wide, red cape that hung off his shoulders and swept around his ankles managed to capture some of the sheer, titanous presence he conveyed through nothing more than a stare that seemed to try and read her very thoughts.

She pressed herself back against the wall with a sudden outbreak of gooseflesh across her skin as his hands uncrossed from behind his back, and she caught sight of some sort of bone weapon hidden underneath his cape. This _human man_ had her trapped against the wall, no easy way of escape, and if he was a hunter, wouldn't be able to fight him off.

It wasn't on purpose, but everything she had heard about humans–and _men_ in particular–made her thoughts fearfully swell with worry of his intentions. The thought of this horribly serious man convulsing nakedly on top of her made her gut tighten and adrenaline fill her veins, but she couldn't escape a hunter by herself, she was helpless if he chose to _take her…_

"May I carry you to your bed?" He asked, the tension around his eyes softening the slightest bit. Blake stood there, frozen, feeling her heart pound and her body shake, and she realized how pitiful she must have looked: a quivering, broken and beaten Faunus, staring wide-eyed up at a man more than twice her age like he was about to backhand her across the room.

She sucked her lips into her mouth, and heard a derisive snort from ' _Lieutenant Sadist Yang.'_ "This is a Tribesman? She's about to shake herself to pieces."

Blake shot her a humiliated glare, but couldn't deny that she was right. She looked like a _wimp,_ and that wasn't even counting her leg. She turned to look up at the man standing over her. This was Beacon, _New Vale,_ a place where Faunus were supposed to be equal or… _something._

She hesitated, swallowed her fears, and very quietly nodded at him. "O-okay, fine."

The man gave a nod, and walked to her side. Every impulse in her body screamed at once as one of his hands went under her knees, and the other rested on her lower back. As easily as he'd lift a sack of flour, he picked Blake up, and carried her back to the bed where the nurse had watched the exchange.

Blake didn't loosen up until she was laying in bed, no longer being touched. Her leg was set inside of the hanging sling to suspend it, and despite being rendered more vulnerable with one leg bound and on her back, it was easier to breath. The nurse moved to the door, standing by it patiently and watching as the big, caped man drew a chair up to Blake's bedside and sat next to her, ' _Lieutenant Edgelord Yang'_ leaning by the wall next to the window to watch.

The man met Blake's eyes when she looked back at him, and his deep voice was calm and low, like he was trying to soothe a frightened pet. "I am Shield Master James Ironwood, I am in charge of New Vale's defensive forces, and acting general of the Paladins. I am here to interrogate you, Blake Khan, before you are brought before the Council of Masters tonight."

The name didn't strike a bell immediately, but replaying his title in her head struck a chord. "So… you, Scout Master Glynda, and Hunt Master Taiyang?" She asked, and though he looked calm, she could see his jaw shift in obvious suspicion at her guess.

"Correct, the seven masters of Beacon will be questioning you in order to determine what will be done with you." Ironwood explained, and Blake's ears flattened at the thought of being dragging in front of _seven_ of these people.

"I'm guessing being a ' _master'_ is a high position here?"

"Correct." Ironwood nodded, his eyes starting to narrow in suspicion.

"And since there's only seven of you, I'm guessing that make you the top dogs." Blake deduced, and she could see Ironwood's shoulders stiffen.

"Also correct. You're very astute."

She could tell by the way he focused on her face, reading her tics, and probably focusing on any potential double-meanings behind her words, that her ' _astuteness'_ worried him… her ears flickered in nervousness, and she cast her eyes downwards. "We hear very little about New Vale, or Beacon in Old Vale. Only rumors, some that are hard to believe, so I'm having to guess." She forced herself to meet his eyes, and her chest tightened in anticipation of however he answered her. "If your council decides I'm no good, will I be killed? _Enslaved?"_

That almost seemed to take the Shield Master aback, as he blinked irregularly before answering her. "If we can determine malicious intention towards New Vale, its settlements, or allies, no. We reserve the death penalty for more extraordinarily high profile crimes, and slavery has been outlawed in all New Vale territory for some time now. At worst, any and all criminals may be required to provide community service, but it is in no way inhumane service."

"Define ' _humane.'"_ Blake ordered, her nostrils flaring accusingly as he gave her an unamused look.

" _I_ am here to question _you,_ Blake Khan." He reminded her, and Blake huffed softly.

"But _why?_ You'll be questioning me later with the other _masters,_ won't you?"

"Yes, with the addition of the information I gather from you here and now." Ironwood's glare sharpened, and within his eyes, she no longer saw just a man, but a hunter on the prowl; except, Blake was not an animal or a monster, she was a prisoner, and a patient, and Ironwood clearly viewed her as a danger to be monitored and studied in the same vein as a beast prowling near the city.

Blake swallowed thickly, and tried to look away from his steely gaze, only to find the only other place her eyes would naturally settle was on ' _Lieutenant Tryhard Yang.'_ She sniffed obstinately, and stared up at the ceiling, closing her eyes to try and push back the overwhelming feeling that she was imprisoned in this room. This man wasn't about to throw himself onto her, and his Lieutenant wasn't allowed to kill her…

"Do you have anything else to ask, or say in your defense before we begin?" Ironwood asked, his expressioning softening once more at her prolonged, intimidated silence.

With a sigh, Blake turned to stare at him, and was thankful that he was using mere expression and posture to intimidate her; he could have very easily turned to torture… Blake squirmed at the thought, and pictured Ruby and Yang crashing in to rescue her once more, but if this man was a _master…_ "Why do this yourself?" She asked, turning to give him a wary look. "If you're the Shield Master, couldn't you have anyone else do it?"

"Yes." Ironwood acknowledged, his tone less severe than before. "As Shield Master of Beacon, it is my esteemed duty to oversee the defenses of our home in preparation of any and all threats, including those whose ultimate goal is subterfuge and sabotage."

"So you think I'm a spy." Blake said glumly, and Ironwood nodded his head. "And you think telling me that to my face helps you interrogate me?"

"No." Ironwood admitted with consternation, but a deep breath cleared a look of annoyance on his face. "But you have three of our hunters speaking in your defense, including the Scout Master."

At that, Blake blinked in surprise; Glynda _defended_ her despite the trouble she'd caused? That was surprising, and kind of heartening as well. She did _admire_ the Scout Master's disposition and rationality, something that the man in front of her seemed to share.

"While two cadets may be easy to fool, the Scout Master is not, and the initial reports of your capture submitted by the cadets do not appear to be doctored or unproven by the Scout Master's word. Beacon's ' _In Distress'_ protocol is very clear with what we do with rescues, no matter their allegiance; as such, you are under our care until you are healed, and until then, we are going to determine how, exactly, we will we keep you." He explained, and Blake couldn't help but wonder if such empathetic treatment of their rescues was hopeful naivety; it would have been easy for somebody with malicious intent to force an injury and be taken into the heart of their operations…

… which was probably why the Shield Master himself was looming over her with back-up.

 _Right._ Now it made sense.

"So, what do you want to know, then?" Blake asked cautiously, and Ironwood bridged his fingers in front of him as he stared her over.

"You are Blake Khan, daughter of Sienna Khan, of the Khan Tribe, correct?" He began, and Blake's nostril twitched.

"Yeah, we went over that." She reminded him, but Ironwood shook his head.

"I am ensuring that it is _your word,_ you understand?"

"No." Blake pouted.

"Then know that it _will_ be repeated and used against you during the Council of the Masters." He said, and Blake relaxed her head back with a groan; he was basically asking her to hand knives over to stick into her later, _fantastic._ "What was your role among the Khan Tribe?"

She heavily considered lying, or not answering at all, but she somehow doubted the man would be at a loss if given the silent treatment. After all, she was trying to keep herself out of their bindings so leaving would be easier. It took her a moment to work up the will to speak, but she finally blurted out: "I was a scout." She watched his eyebrows twitch in thought.

"It was your job to identify trails, threats, and landmarks?" He asked, and after a second of hesitation, Blake nodded.

"Yes. I also found reagents for the tribes to use, and observed human and monster movement in our territory."

"Have you taken part in subversive activities against human settlements?" His tone was a hint sharper, and Blake could see the Lieutenant sitting up and staring at her, _daring_ her to admit it…

Blake once again found herself hesitant to answer, but that was possibly more telling than if she'd flat out admitted the truth. The longer she remained silent, the harder the Shield Master's eyes looked, and the more ' _Lieutenant Crabitude Yang'_ seemed ready to gut her. She curled a fist, her cheek twitching, and she imagined what they would do to her whether or not she answered. Was it too late to lie? She'd spent far too long _not_ saying anything for it to _not_ be suspicious…

"Yes." She finally admitted, her heart dropping as she pictured them busting out the chains then and there, or maybe ending it all with a knife, or whatever weapon was on the Shield Master's back, but if anything, the man's posture softened.

"So you admit to deliberately targeting human settlements for the express purpose of causing them damage."

" _Yes."_ Blake's eyes narrowed, and in the back, the dark-haired Yang chuckled with a malicious little grin on her face.

Ironwood nodded slowly, his expression unchanging, leaving her wincing… should she have lied…?

"And for what purpose did you attack these settlements?"

"To get them out of our territory and free Faunus slaves." Blake glowered, but Ironwood did not look perturbed.

"You attacked human settlements strictly in the name of self-defense and liberation?" Ironwood asked, but before Blake could answer, he presented another question. "Not to expand the Khan Tribe's arbitrarily defined _territory?"_

At that, Blake went silent, and did not meet his eye. She could sense his movement as he shifted in his seat, focusing expressly on her face with that firm, neutral stare. "We needed resources." She explained softly.

Ironwood did not respond to her excuse, and seemed to contemplate her instead. His silence was unnerving, but at the very least he _blinked…_ "Describe the sequence of events that lead to your being found by Ruby Rose." Ironwood ordered.

Blake flashed back to that night, to the pain that had caused it that had persisted to this day, to the expressions on the faces of her fellow Tribesmen as they left her behind, to the cold actions of a man she once respected… her fist curled tightly, and she again avoided Ironwood's eye. She perfectly realized that being silent did not help her in the slightest, but she didn't know what to say…

Her tribe was still her _tribe._ She was furious at the people that abandoned her, but she still remembered the friends she'd had, the comrades she'd made… the mother that probably believed her dead. She went slack at the thought, wondering how her mother mourned… because of that _traitor…_

"I was part of a group that was supposed to attack a settlement we intended to take over." Blake told him, her eyes closing slowly. "It failed, and we ran. I got injured by a stray monster, and the commander of our group decided I was too much trouble to be worth saving, and left me behind as bait for the humans and Grimm. I threw myself into a river rather than die to the lot of them, and was apparently picked up while unconscious."

"Why did you try to escape Scout Master Glynda and the cadets?" He asked without demanding further details, and Blake nose wrinkled.

"I…" She hesitated, and lowered her head, shaking it in annoyance. "I wanted to return to Old Vale and get justice for what my former commander did to me. Make sure my mother knew I was still alive." Blake's ears drooped, and she growled as she heard the woman in the back laugh.

"Do you have any idea how far you were from Old Vale when you tried that, _cat?"_ The black-haired woman shook her head, grinning with sadistic amusement as Blake tightened up. "You were a dead woman walking going by yourself, but on that leg? You're lucky those brats were dumb enough to chase after you, otherwise, you woulda been droppings by nightfall."

Blake met the black-haired Lieutenant's red-eyed sneer, and returned it wholeheartedly. However, a conversation back on the road to New Vale replayed in her mind, and a realization occured. She opened her mouth, wondering if being petty was really worth the trouble of possibly getting killed then and there, but she was tired of the woman's glare.

"You're _Raven,_ right?" Blake asked her suddenly, and the woman's menacing grin faltered, and she squeezed the handle of a knife sheathed by her thigh.

"Damn brats and their big mouths…" Raven growled. She took a step forward, but a quick glance from Ironwood stopped her in her tracks, while Ironwood slowly turned back to process. "Did they blab about anything _else_ you have no business knowing about? 'Cuz if they talked about anything _important…"_ Her voice carried a threat aimed at the two non-present girls, and Blake got a moment to be smug as she smiled at the woman.

"Only thing they told me is that you can _go fuck yourself."_

Raven's brows rose at the audacity, and she almost revealed her teeth in a snarl, but she quickly got ahold of herself and leaned back against the wall, scowling at Blake wordlessly.

Blake turned back to face Ironwood, whose facial lines seemed to deepen from witnessing the conversation. His next question was asked with a much more cautious tone. "The hunter cadets that found you, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, what all have they told you about New Vale?"

Now Ruby and Yang were in the firing line… but Blake wasn't selfish enough to throw them to the wolves to save her own skin, not that they had given her much to go off of in the first place. "They told me that New Vale doesn't enslave the Faunus, and that they're welcome in the city." She answered, meeting Ironwood's eye. "I asked them the same thing I asked you, and they said I'd be taken care of. If you want to know if they slipped me any _dangerous_ information, they didn't. All they told me was that slavery was banned, and that Beacon has this weird relationship where they don't kill every monster they come across."

With a slow blink, Ironwood nodded. He quietly stood, towering over Blake, making her feel small and vulnerable under his broad, armored frame… but then he strode away, and nodded to Raven before gesturing to the exit. "I've asked everything I wanted to ask. Rest easy, Blake Khan, the Council of Masters will convene in the evening."

The Shield Master spoke with the nurse for a moment, then strode out before Blake could think of anything to ask. Blake breathed deep, let it loose, and relaxed by closing her eyes. She was still hungry, tired, and a little ornery, but the interrogation had gone about as well as she could have imagined.

… A little too well, even. That was what the Shield Master had called an interrogation? He had asked simple questions, and a handful of them at that, and despite the pressure she put on herself, Blake hadn't felt threatened or pressed to reveal more than she'd had.

Her lungs filled with a deep breath, and she let it go slowly, wondering what the hell the Shield Master had been setting out to accomplish, but without answers, she could only lay there and stew in her own worry.

She supposed that all there was left to do was to wait to meet all the masters… and return Raven's threatening look with one of her own until the woman finally left.

* * *

Blake's ear flicked towards the sound of the door opening once more, and she heard the nurse shuffle in with another pair of footsteps following her. She turned her head to look at the nurse's horrified expression as the aged woman, once again, found herself staring at an empty bed.

Before trying to justify her lack of awareness, the nurse quickly rounded towards the window, staring at Blake with a petulant look and striding over, wagging her finger aggressively as the catgirl simply huffed in annoyance. " _You!_ Stop getting out of the sling, stop getting out of bed, _stop sitting in the window!"_ The nurse shouted shrilly, and Blake's ears instinctively flattened in annoyance.

"It's boring in the bed." Blake explained, looking away from the nurse to see who else had followed her. Her eyes grew, as did a small, relieved smile as she saw who had walked in.

"Boring or not, it's for your own health, so don't you—" The nurse nearly jumped out of her skin when the window suddenly brushed by her from behind, and a flurry of red rose petals filled the air.

Blake went rigid as she found her midsection being squeezed by a pair of svelte arms, and she stared down into the joyous silver eyes of her savior, and despite the instinctual rigidity she had displayed towards the humans who had invaded her room prior, she felt herself relax almost immediately at Ruby's beaming smile.

"Hey, Ruby." Blake smiled awkwardly as she was hugged, resting a hand on the small of the little cadet's back.

"Hi Blake!" Ruby bounced back, looking excited as could be as she held onto Blake's hand, swiftly examining her face as Yang stepped into the sunlight pouring through the window, giving her sister an amused look.

"What's up, kitty cat? You're looking healthier." Yang chuckled, and emboldened by Ruby's touchiness, reached up to pinch one of Blake's cheeks. The Faunus' eye twitched, a she blew a rude noise through her lips while swatting Yang's fingers.

Their eyes met, and Blake smirked as she laid back against the windowsill. "I feel _way_ better than I did out in the woods." Both girls had changed out of the armor she saw them wearing on their journey, and while Ruby looked comfortable in a short-sleeved white tunic, Yang rocked a simple jerkin. Both wore a pair of light, baggy pants, and both carried a purse. Yang had an orange length of cloth wrapped around her hips like a belt, which hung off her butt to provide cover, while Ruby had a long, red scarf around her neck, despite the day's heat.

Blake smiled at the two young women, but paused as her stomach gurgled. She settled a hand on her belly, squeezing it thoughtfully. "Though I'm hungry."

"You're also _still in the damn window!"_ The nurse reminded her tersely, and Blake flared her nostrils in annoyance. She gave Yang an idle look, and nodded, giving the blonde all the indication she needed to carefully lift her.

Blake assumed Yang would be as gentle as ever, but the moment a finger dug into the bottom of her buttcheek, she began to flail and growl as Yang squeaked, laughed, and hung onto Blake to keep the Faunus in her arms.

Blake laid in bed, huffing as the sling around her leg was tightened in an attempt to try and keep her confined, and Yang yelped as she ran circles around the room with Ruby chasing her, slinging a number outraged insults at the blonde while raining slap after slap across her back, shoulders, and arms.

The nurse glared, watching the horseplay for only a moment before turning on her heel and heading for the door, shooting Blake one final, dismissive glance. "Stay in your bed! You two!" She pointed towards Ruby and Yang, who stepped mid-wrestle to blink at her curiously. "Make sure she stays _out_ of that window!"

With that, the door slammed shut, and the three were left alone.

Yang mockingly saluted where the nurse had just been, and snorted. "Sure thing boss, no problem, boss…" She muttered, her eyebrow twitching before she turned to Blake with a grin.

Ruby had moved over to Blake's side, taking the chair that Shield Master Ironwood had used earlier to plop down by her rescue's side, and Yang made sure nobody was hanging around outside before stepping out without a word, Blake watching curiously.

"So, um…" Ruby began gently, squirming in her seat as Blake looked over at her curiously. "Welcome to New Vale! And Beacon! And Beacon Hospital!" Ruby threw her arms out with an enormous grin.

"Thanks." Blake snorted, already tired of being on her back, despite the necessity for her leg. She glanced up at the ceiling and tried to relax, wanting to try and cozy up and take things easy, but a part of her desperately wished to go to the window and see the city again…

"Like it so far?" Ruby asked. Blake's shoulders bounce, and she tiredly looked Ruby's way.

"The view's beautiful, the bed's alright, but the reception needs some work." She pursed her lips, remembering that _Raven_ woman all too clearly… "The Shield Master and Yang's mom came in and questioned me, a couple of…" Blake screwed her eyes up, realizing she had no time of reference. "Earlier."

"Oh." Ruby's cheeks drooped. "Were Uncle Ironwood and Ms. Branwen nice?" She asked, and Blake's eyebrow arched at the honorifics Ruby had chosen.

"You… _uncle_ was stiff as a board, and I agree with Yang about Raven. Real quick, the Hunt Master's your _dad,_ the Scout Master's your _aunt,_ and the Shield Master's your _uncle?"_ She asked, wondering if it was sheer nepotism that drove Beacon's politics…

"Oh, no, not by blood!" Ruby chuckled, squeezing her hands together as she met Blake's eyes. "Well, 'cept our dad, _he's_ our _dad._ Auntie Glynda and Uncle Ironwood babysat us a bunch, and taught us all about hunting and the world! There's others too, like Uncle Port and Aunt Peach…"

So it was just a tight-knit community. Blake could understand that, there were plenty of Faunus back in Old Vale she would have counted amongst her family, and plenty of them were in high positions too. Her mother had her train with their best fighters, and learn from their own scout leader. She spent plenty of warm days out in the wilds with their alchemist, gathering forest ingredients for their potions…

"Makes sense." Blake granted, and Ruby nodded her head rapidly. "But _Ms._ Branwen?" Blake sounded confused, and at that, an adorable little sneer crossed Ruby's face.

"I'll call her ' _auntie'_ when she starts acting like _family."_ Ruby's growl was low, almost cute, but filled with a bitterness that implied an extremely chilly relationship with the woman. Blake could understand why based on the short interaction they'd had… "So… _was_ Uncle Ironwood nice?"

What did Ruby define as ' _nice?'_ The man had left without defiling or harming her, and had even played a gentleman in returning her to the bed, but it was clear from the first question on that he was not going to treat her as a guest. Then again, considering what he _could_ have done to her as his prisoner, she supposed… "Yeah. He was fine." Blake crossed her arms over her stomach, watching Ruby sigh in relief.

"Good! 'Cuz otherwise I woulda had ta have a _talk_ with him!" Ruby bobbed her head, looking confident that said ' _talk'_ would go her way. Blake pictured all Ruby and all five of her feet stubbornly reprimanding the much larger man in that squeaky voice, and she could only imagine the look of befuddlement on his face as he was chewed out by a cadet…

Laughing felt good, even if it only came out in dry, wheezy giggles that made Ruby pause, and break out into a hopeful smile. It had been a while since Blake had anything to laugh at… sure, it was at the tail end of her failure to get home, but she was alive, and in some good company.

"So, you and the window got a love affair or somethin'?" Ruby asked, gesturing in the vague direction of the door the grouchy nurse had left through, and Blake rolled her eyes.

"I like the view." Blake admitted, staring at the window longingly, watching the blue sky and white clouds float by in the distance, uninhibited and untouchable by all but the birds and wyverns. She flinched as her wounded leg jostled, and she shot a surprised look at Ruby as the young lady started loosening the sling, and Blake felt herself flush with embarrassment as the little human slid her arms under Blake's body, and showing far more restraint than her sister, carried her patient over to the window.

Blake was back in her perch, good leg out the window, bad one in the room, back against the sill, and staring out at the city that she sat so far above. The sky above her was untouchable, as was the city below her; it seemed cruel to be so far from them both, the perfect height away from both infinite freedom and the bustle of the common human.

Ruby's finger pointed out past her face towards the docks that framed the ocean, and she grinned as she spoke. "We have, like, one-hundred and something ships! Most of them are the little fishing boats that bring a buncha food to the market." Her finger spun in the vague direction of the numerous, distant black specks resting on the endless blue. "But we also have sailing ships!" She pointed out the larger vessels docked at the harbor, where Blake could spot the miniscule figures scurrying about on their decks, checking the hull and bringing aboard boxes.

Blake followed Ruby's pointing to the rows upon rows of buildings sitting level on the ground bordering the mountain's base, where a majority of the activity was taking place. "Those are mostly the markets and shops! You can find some houses, but those people are weirdos! And some of the shops have, like, homes and stuff in the back, but usually, the families live up the mountain." Blake watched as Ruby pointed out the sturdy-looking, more cookie-cutter buildings built on top of eachother in rows like a staircase. "Most people live in those, including the hunters!"

Blake nodded, glancing over at Ruby curiously. "So which row is your house?" She asked, but Ruby shook her head. She followed Ruby's finger down towards the open plaza below, where it looked like the Beacon guards or hunters were doing their exercises. A wooden pathway went towards a big, stone building, one that appeared far better built, not to mention much closer in design to the buildings Blake had come to know in Old Vale. Its tall windows and multi-story design seemed out of place amongst the wooden structures around it, but it was clearly _very_ important. " _That's_ your house?!" She asked in surprise, getting a laugh from Ruby.

"I wish! Nah, that's what we call the Beacon Officiate; all the most important stuff is kept there, like the texts of the Old World, the _official_ records of monsters, the going-ons and who-dos of the city, and it's also where missions are decided. It's separated from New Vale's government, but it has copies of all New Vale's stuff too, just in case." Ruby tapped her chin as Blake tried to fully comprehend the sheer importance of the Officiate. "It's sort like… the center of all New Vale's knowledge and stuff, and where the most important decisions are made, and where my dad works."

Ruby went on, "The Hunt Master of New Vale is a _super_ important position, like, _extra super mega important,_ 'cuz it's basically saying: ' _this is the best hunter ever and he runs all the other hunters',_ kinda like a general, a politician, and a lore keeper all rolled into one! So, we actually get a special house." Ruby pointed, and Blake had to squint to see the dirt road that squirmed out from behind the Officiate, towards a distant house that looked like it had eaten and assimilated three other houses. "Other masters–the guys who're—"

"—the top dogs here."

"Yeah! They get nice places too, but the Hunt Master gets the house closest to the Officiate to make sure he can get to business the moment he can. Yang and I live there with our dad, too, until a new Hunt Master gets named." Ruby bobbed her head.

"And how likely as that?" Blake wondered out loud.

"The Hunt Master basically has to be, like, proven incompetent or something." Ruby crossed her arms, her lips screwing up in thought as Blake took the opportunity to examine the girl's facial features. "Sir Ozpin stepped down from the position since he couldn't hunt anymore; he lost one leg, the other doesn't move much, and one hand got a buncha fingers burnt off, but his mind's still sharp, so he was chosen as the Lore Master, and he nominated my dad for Hunt Master."

"I see." Blake nodded, staring back at the city in thought.

She didn't get long, however, as the door opened once more, and Blake expected the nurse to angrily storm in. Instead, Yang strode in pushing some sort of odd, cushioned chair on four wheels, with a single leg rest jutting out from the seat.

"The hell is that?" She asked, glancing between the two girls suspiciously.

"A wheelchair!" Yang answered excitedly.

Blake blinked slowly. "Oh. Why?"

"No reason!" Ruby beamed, and Blake wriggled in distress as she was lifted out of the window, and carried over to the chair. Both girls helped in maneuvering her comfortably into the seat, her broken leg lifted up by the extended platform, her other foot resting on a small, suspended pedal. The chair turned with her in it towards the door, which Ruby held open with a conspiratorial grin on her face. "Act natural." She ordered.

"What?" Blake asked, her heart pounding as Yang started pushing her towards the exit.

"Pretend like you're exactly where you're supposed to be!" Yang clarified with a happy voice.

"Why?!" Blake's ears stood on end as her chair stopped on the border of the room's exit, staring out into a wooden hallway lit by lamps filled with glowing insects sipping at a sugary liquid in the bottom of the tightly closed glass.

"You said you were hungry, right?" Yang asked mischievously.

"And you looked like you wanted to see Vale _up close…"_ Ruby added on, matching her sister's tricky tone.

Blake's eyes widened as she realized what they were doing, and there was a sudden fear that she was breaking a rule, that she would be arrested for following their scheme, that the Shield Master would bring his full, authoritative weight down upon her if he found she was missing…

… but then her stomach rumbled, and she remembered that she was bound to _no_ _human's_ will.

The fright passed, and Blake relaxed in her chair, crossing her hands over her lap as she gave the two girls a soft smile and a nod. "Alright nurses, proceed." She offered, her heart rate picking up once more, but this time in excitement

Their maniacal giggling was music to her ears.

The wooden hospital hallways were broad and spartan, with doors spaced far apart from each other, while an unraveled scroll hung on each door with a series of names listed on them. A window marked the end of the hospital wing, which Blake's room was placed closest to.

Her ear turned as she heard Yang close the door behind them, and Ruby sprinted twenty steps ahead of the wheelchair-bound Faunus and her sister. Yang rolled Blake along at a decent pace; not so slow as to invite trouble, but not so quickly that they looked in a panic, and Ruby kept ahead, peering into hallways and throwing a thumbs up to them as they walked.

Blake stared around the building curiously as they went, and she kept a neutral expression and even posture as she was rolled. It was smooth and comfortable, a definite step up from lying on her back, and the support the chair gave her leg was nice as well. Having Yang roll her along was surprisingly relaxing, though she took note that the wood and metal wheels had side grips for her to roll herself along if necessary.

The deeper they got to the heart of the hospital, the busier it got. White-robed nurses with their medical satchels bustled about, sometimes joined by men or women in more formal white suits carrying a plethora of equipment around their hips and necks. Patients in the same plain white clothes that Blake wore stumbled around with varying degrees of difficulty, and the three of them stood aside as a woman was rolled down the hall on a long stretcher, her eyes closed, the cot bloody, and the medical professionals rolling her along muttering urgently amongst themselves.

Ruby scanned a side hallway and signalled with three fingers before disappearing down it. Yang rolled Blake closer, but kept her hidden by the corner as she peeked down where Ruby ran, then quickly hustled Blake across and behind another corner, then further down the hall. Blake only barely caught Ruby animatedly jabbering with her nurse, the both of them with their backs turned towards the little flight, and Blake withheld a smirk.

They waited at a stairwell for Ruby to catch up, and she grinned, threw them a pair of thumbs ups, and they walked past the stairs towards a nearby ramp that curved its way downwards, which was far less steep, but allowed Blake to roll down without slamming into a wall.

Blake turned to look up at the people they passed in curiosity. They didn't give the three more than a second glance, most of them even greeting Ruby and Yang in a friendly manner, which the two girls returned gratefully before they passed by, no questions asked.

The people were almost entirely human… almost. Blake's neck craned to stare at a serious-faced, salt 'n pepper haired older man whose large, bushy tail hung down by his knees as he walked past them with a curt nod, his doctor's uniform emblazoned with a large, white, stylized wolf's head over his left breast. He disappeared around a corner without a second glance, and Blake blinked in confusion.

"That was Dr. Cutterd." Ruby explained as they turned a hallway. "He's the best surgeon in the whole hospital; he was the one that fixed your knee up while you were out!" Blake nodded at that, forgetting that she had probably been operated on since she'd last been conscious.

"He's a Faunus!" Blake noted in surprise, recalling his visible lack of injury, or even a stray look of depression. Ruby didn't sound disparaging at all describing him, and Blake felt her heartbeat pick up in quiet excitement.

"Yup!" Yang answered, grinning down at Blake. "He's technically on loan from Menagerie since New Vale gets more major injuries, but he's been here for like a full decade now, so I think he's officially ours by now! He's made himself a pretty good name here."

"Yeah, Yang and I learned how to set bones in the field from him." Ruby bobbed her head as she held a door open for the two of them.

They entered a wide lobby on the ground floor. Dozens of cushioned wicker seats lined the floor, some of them filled with people looking injured or ailing, while a number of nurses scurried about and spoke to the patients, periodically leading them behind privacy curtains for an examination. Ruby and Yang rolled Blake straight towards the open, heavy wooden double doors that let in the fresh air and sunlight, and she instinctively sat up in anticipation of freedom.

She feared that, at the last moment, the doors would close and the nurses would swarm them, but they rolled past the perimeter the door guarded, and out into the open air.

Blake had to hold a hand over her eyes as natural light shone down on them uninhibited from above, the smell of green herbs leaving the air. The hospital doors gave out to a wide, nearly empty courtyard where small wagons being hauled by strong young men and women parked to unload the infirm onto those rolling cots Blake had seen. Otherwise, people meandered along the wooden platform with arms and armor, not cluttering the hospital's courtyard with spare bodies and, instead, heading about their business.

No longer high up with a window to peer out of, Blake could see Beacon up close, and stared at the number of tall buildings built along the mountain's steep incline via stable platforms. One wide, rounded building was billowing black smoke into the sky as light and shadow flickered through the open doorward, while another bore the immense, bleached skulls of slain monsters along its outer walls in prideful display, and the Officiate sat immaculate and white further away, its austerity putting the other wooden structures to shame.

As they rolled towards the platform Blake had seen people training on, Blake saw the sheer variety of people that wandered about. She saw humans–what seemed like _hundreds_ of humans–walking about, some as pale as milk, some as dark as coal, and every shade of pink and brown in between, with hair that swept from their ankles or sat cropped near their scalps in even more vivid, rainbow-like colors.

But among them were the people that Blake feared for the most; they weren't nearly as numerous as humanity, but the Faunus walked alongside them. Men and women with ears and tails, fur or scales, bearing claws and fangs wandered amidst the humans without looks of fear, or chains around their limbs and necks. They wore armor and carried weapons just as openly, some having clothes rattier than sea-weathered sails, others proudly displaying rich jerkins and pants fresh from the seamstress.

Some of them stayed close to their own kind, but were ignored by the passing humans, while others were near indistinguishable from the humans they quarreled or laughed with. A girl with prominent mouse ears in thick robes carrying a tome as big as her head walked hand in hand with a tall human boy, chatting together and unable to take their eyes off each other until they nearly bungled into a group of girls.

Blake's eyes flicked from body to body, seeing hunters and scholars ranging from fresh sprouts with wide eyes and trembling limbs, to old geezers who hobbled about on a cane, their wrinkled skin long turned dry and leathery. The girls stopped and waited as a door to the building marked with skull trophies opened, and a crowd of youthful students poured out, their overlapping chattering nothing more than gibberish to the surprised Blake as she watched an older fox-eared woman call after one of them from the door, holding up a pair of discarded shoes.

Ruby and Yang called out to the woman, waving at her as she waved back, and Blake offered her own, silent greeting before the fox woman turned to the owner of the shoes.

As they moved along the perimeter of the vast training yard, Blake got to watch nearly sixty trainees being ordered through various exercises by a uniformed man standing on a dais before them, his voice booming as they trained themselves, Ruby whispering his name into Blake's ear, though she didn't catch it. Crowds of averagely-built boy and girls, men and women alike, stood around. The younger ones swooned over the strength and physique of the cadets, while the older ones watched the exercising youths fondly, shouting encouragement whenever they struggled.

Numerous times Blake found herself staring at pale green armor over brown leather, and tensing up as she thought she saw Shield Master Ironwood, but no, the various guards of New Vale that stationed themselves at entrances and exits, or patrolled around merely wore a similar, uniform set of armor, no cape to distinguish them as the man who had ' _interrogated'_ Blake. The guards carried what appeared to be light bowguns across their lower backs, with small swords and shields over their shoulder blades.

They stood out from the hunters, whose armor was distinct seemingly from person to person, whose variety of weapons ranged from the incomprehensibly massive, to small and forebodingly sharp to compensate. The older, more experienced hunters were identifiable by having more bones, scales, and metal incorporated into their wear–as opposed to the simple leather most young hunters wore–though Blake noted that almost none of the weaponry she saw was purely metal, and was more often than not comprised of mainly bone with metal compliments.

There were far too many sights and colors for her to see in one pass, and she missed the way Ruby's smile plastered her face, or how Yang was staring down at her with a little grin. It took her several minutes of rolling along to remember that she was still in a wheelchair, and people just naturally moved out of the way for her and the girls. She also took note of the number of people that greeted them, mainly Ruby and Yang.

It was usually the older hunter and guards that raised a hand, called the two out, and traded smiles and little verbal jabs as they moved on. None of them tried to get in their way and stop them from leaving Beacon down a long, winding ramp that eventually let out at the bottom of the mountain, something that surprised Blake.

Did they not know she was a Tribesman, or did people just trust Ruby and Yang that much…?

She formed a small pout as they began to descend from Beacon towards New Vale. The path was long, but not perilous. There were numerous people coming up and down the steadily declining path, but the crowds that didn't give way for the injured Blake were barked at by the surprisingly loud Ruby until they moved.

It was an incredibly luxurious feeling; if it weren't for the whole broken leg thing, Blake would have been _thrilled_ to have an easy ride and a pair of bodyguards that people were quick to get out of the way for. Not to mention the sea-salted air smelled and felt so fresh compared to Old Vale's, whose debris had long turned the sea an ugly dark blue, and smelled heavily of rot.

And watching the New Vale buildings come ever closer made Blake all tingly; the smell of food was drawing closer, and her stomach snarled at her demandingly. She'd get to see _more_ of the city up close… and find something to dig her teeth into!

… Why was she in New Vale again? It was getting easier to forget.

The wooden path that lead up to Beacon gave way to the expansive wooden city that was New Vale. Almost immediately Blake felt the difference in heat; the combination of the tightly packed buildings blocking the ocean breeze, the number of bodies roaming the wooden streets, and being closer to sea level all contributed to Blake being happy that her clothes were fairly thin and short.

New Vale's citizens were a much more diverse group than its hunters, now ranging from overly tall, to short, skinny, and fat, with nobody really standing out as being uppercrust as a result of their body type. Blake stared suspiciously at a rotund, bald man with a large moustache hocking glassware from a both that sat in the shade of another building that smelled heavily of some sort of sweet spice; in the northern settlements, fat humans were typically the wealthy ones who sat at the top of the hierarchy, and were amongst the most callous.

However, a man with digitigrade legs argued with him fearlessly over the price of an opulent, blue glass bottle, neither coming to blows as they passionately haggled. A roaming crowd hid them from sight as Blake was pushed along, Ruby walking ahead of them to make sure they had a clear path over the tightly packed wooden boards that served as a street, sometimes over old, woven rugs that usually marked the front of a merchant's booth.

Blake took note that the variety of clothing was astonishing; men and women both seemed to follow no uniform dress code. Some wore heavy clothing, including full-bodied cassocks, loose cloaks, and even headwraps. Others went light, some men even outright shirtless, with Blake finding herself staring at a well-muscled, sweating woman whose tightly bound leather halter protected only her breasts, while her miniscule shorts ensured there was little left to the imagination. She smelled heavily of tar, and carried a hammer and a case of nails, as did the shirtless men she followed behind.

The numerous crowds were constantly moving about, individuals breaking away from one to join another as they went down a new path, or joined a mob surrounding a market stand. The noise made Blake feel like she was drowning; so much talking, so much arguing, so much laughter, and then there were the men standing at sporadic corners, booming about some new event happening in New Vale.

"— _four time champion at bare-handed wrestling! Witness him in the Carthaneaux Arena tomorrow night, as he takes on Carmen Nought in a brand new fight for the belt! Tomorrow night—"_

"— _has not only failed to address the Devil Dust trade, our_ 'beloved' _mayor instead continues to support only the merchants and Beacon itself, leaving us to wonder—"_

" _Brand new shoes! Never before seen, only at Roman's Grand Emporium! Watch! No more laces, snap the buckles shut and you're good to go! A size for any and all in New Vale!"_

Ruby, Blake, and Yang came to a pause as the crowd parted, the sound of a ringing bell quieting the street as Blake's eyes widened, her blood quickened, and by instinct, her teeth grit as a human man in a tricorn cap and a captain's jacket lead a number of Faunus clasped in chains, wearing old burlap sacks and dirty ropes about their waists.

They marched along in three lines, one behind the other, their wrists held up to display their manacles and chains. They stared straight forward into the backs of one another's heads, and a sudden, cold pit opened up in the bottom of Blake's stomach. Slaves… these were _slaves,_ the very thing everyone was saying New Vale _didn't have!_

She was lied to; of course she was lied to! She was so easily duped into coming here and playing along, not trying to escape! Her arms trembled as she dug her fingers into the arm rests of the wheelchair, the human at the front calling for attention by waving the bell over his head to make a number of loud, demanding ' _clangs!'_

She stared at the back of Ruby's scalp, not paying attention at all to her face as her stomach dropped in a perceived betrayal, and it took all of her willpower to not spit a curse out at the girl, and refocus herself.

Before they could catch her, she pushed herself up, trying to leap out of her seat, but Yang's quick reaction forced her back down. "Whoa there, kitty cat! You need to—"

" _Let me go!"_ Blake snapped, struggling in Yang's grip as Ruby turned in surprise, quickly moving to Blake's side to take her hand, but Blake pulled her arm away with a sharp, golden glare at Ruby.

"Blake, what's the matter?!" Ruby asked, trying to not cause a scene as she struggled to take Blake's wrists.

" _Slaves!"_ Blake pointed, nearly throwing Ruby to the side in her sudden fury. "You have _slaves here?!_ You lied to me! I _trusted you!"_ Blake gasped, her eyes feeling hot, her mind a dull slog of fury and fear, and she saw Ruby rapidly shake her head.

"Th-that's not what this is! Look!" Ruby pointed at the people lining the street watching, and Blake fought to knock Ruby off her, but she did follow her finger to the various expressions of the surrounding humans, and she slowed steadily as confusion set in.

The surrounding humans and Faunus watching the row of slaves wore various looks of discomfort or annoyance, some outright scowling at the group of chained Faunus, and Blake saw the people standing near them looked equally confused, if not perturbed.

Suddenly, the human standing at the head of the marching slaves boomed: " _Support an end to this heinous display!"_ He called, his cry punctuated by the clangs of his bell. " _Election day looms closer and closer! Cast your votes for leaders that will pressure the other settlements to end the slavery of our allies! Vote for Mayor Lionheart!"_

With little warning, the slaves dropped their arms, their chains loudly clanking against the wooden floor. It took Blake several seconds to realize the chains between their wrists were long and thin, while their legs were left entirely free, giving them freedom of movement without too much additional weight. Their faces were clean and wore expressions of stern purpose, and their limbs were reasonably muscled and mostly free of ugly scars.

They moved towards their rear, where two of their number were pulling a wooden wagon filled to the brim with tightly wound scrolls, which the ' _slaves'_ took and started passing out to the watching crowd, engaging in conversation about Mayor Lionheart and the plight of the Faunus outside of New Vale. Blake watched a woman with a wet, black nose approach Ruby with a smile, despite her scratchy clothing, and present her with one of the scrolls. Ruby stood up straight, putting on an awkward little smile of her own.

"Miss Xiao Long, can we trust you to vote in the upcoming election?" The woman asked, and Ruby bobbed her head while Yang laughed from behind Blake.

" _Next year,_ Ruby! You don't get to cheat a vote in early!"

"But-but I wanna make a _difference!"_ Ruby pouted as the woman blushingly left Ruby behind to hand the scroll over to Yang. Ruby crossed her arms and stomped her foot, while Blake just watched this… _madness_ around her as the Faunus… ' _slaves'_ encouraged the humans to ' _do the right thing.'_

"Mayor Lionheart has done more for rescued Faunus than all of Beacon has; we ask on behalf of all the Faunus still forced to the grindstone beyond our borders, help us re elect Mayor Lionheart!" The dog-nosed woman pleaded of Yang, Ruby latching onto her sister's arm so they could both read the missive she'd given them.

The crowd of _not-enslaved_ Faunus got back into three lines behind the man with the bell, holding their wrists up to display their chains as they marched along to the next avenue, their chins held high, their expressions severe, their wagon pulled along after them.

Blake was left in such an utter shock by the brazen display that she hardly noticed Ruby kneeling down next to her again, smiling as she gave her the scroll the woman had passed over. Blake took the paper and quickly began to read. It seemed like a lot of nonsense, using plenty of words she didn't recognize, but it propped up this ' _Lionheart'_ person as somebody who truly cared about the Faunus.

"See?" Ruby offered apologetically, her shoulders shrugging helplessly. "It was just a display thingy."

Blake was speechless; they'd dressed up as slaves to make some sort of _point…?_ It was fairly effective since it had nearly driven her to attack the two girls carting her around after rescuing her, and she fell into a deep, ashamed blush. She was still unsure, but the ' _slaves'_ hadn't been attacked, or set upon by the human, and no auction had happened. They were safe, just… _making a point._

"Sorry…" Blake murmured, her body still tight.

She missed the look Ruby and Yang gave each other, and a hand rest on her head, making her shoot up straight as fingers dug into the base of her ears. "No worries, Blake." Yang spoke promisingly. "C'mon, I know just the way to calm down." She grinned, pushing the wheelchair forward while Ruby ran ahead to clear a path.

Blake was so deep in her own head from confusion that she had missed that they had entered a part of the city where the buildings chugged smoke, dispensed the smells of cooking food, and there was much more space opened up inside and outside the buildings for tables, chairs, and numerous people, both citizen and hunter, to sit down and eat plates of food the like Blake had never seen before.

"Food time!" Ruby announced excitedly, and Blake blinked herself out of her stupor. Food…? _Food!_ Right! She was hungry!

She instinctively looked for the big pot of cooking stew, and the large, flat rock they would be using to cook the meat, but she saw neither of those things as they walked through the opening of a small, fenced in area that seemed to be trying to contain a flock of tables and the people sitting around them.

"I'll go order if you two wanna pop a squat." Yang offered as Ruby pushed a chair aside from one table, and Blake held up her hands to catch the table's edge as she was pushed in right up to her breasts.

" _Get the seafood special!"_ Ruby called after her sister as Yang head for the open doors.

The front of the building didn't appear to be much more different than a variety of other buildings Blake had seen, other than a large, blue-painted wooden swordfish that took up most of the space above the glassless, open window. Blake tried to peer into building that way, but the most she could see were the heads of people dining inside, and smoke puffing in the back.

Her eyebrows scrunched together as she sniffed the air, the smell making her tummy rumble, and she nearly jumped as Ruby plopped down into a chair next to her with a smile. "So, this is Swordfish!"

Blake glanced at the building's logo, and she nodded in a slow, obvious way. "That _is_ a swordfish." She confirmed, and Ruby pouted huffily.

"It's also the restaurant's name!" Ruby clarified, and Blake… blinked.

" _Res-tah-rahnt?"_ She repeated slowly, and Ruby's face slackened in quiet surprise, then she nodded as Blake looked at her questioningly.

"It's a place where, like, you buy food!"

"I thought those were _markets."_ Blake didn't sound any more understanding, so Ruby took a moment to think, her fingers fiddling together as she composed a better explanation.

"A restaurant is where you go to sit down and eat really good food the chefs make for you." Ruby tried again, pointing to a couple that were eating at another table, staring at some scrolls a nicely-dressed woman had handed them. "You order a specific dish off the menu, they cook it for you, and bring it out for you to eat for some lien!"

"... Why not just buy the food and make it yourself? This sounds like a waste." Blake noted with an unimpressed expression, and Ruby shrugged her shoulders a tiny bit.

"I mean, you're not totally wrong, but, like… sometimes you're super tired, and don't wanna just throw some meat in the fire, and these guys make _really_ good food, so it's worth spending the money on!" Ruby nodded, but Blake seemed unconvinced.

"And it's not just Swordfish?" Blake asked, looking around the more open street to see other buildings that seemed to be seating people with food. "How can you justify using up so much food for such… _frivolousness?"_

"Well, we bring in a lot of food…" Ruby murmured. "And, um, the restaurants pay the people who bring the food, who pay the people who grow the food, and the people who grow the food come eat the food they sold for cheaper!... That's how my dad said it worked, anyways."

Blake looked unconvinced, but didn't voice any more disparagement. She watched Yang exit the building with three tall, wooden mugs and a smile. One of the mugs was placed in front of Blake, who sniffed the apple juice in curiosity as she and Ruby sat, clinked cups, and drank happily. Blake sipped, looking around with an uncertain expression… it was all so new, and busy.

Beacon had this pleasant austerity to it, an amazing place of warriors and the like, but New Vale was… filled to the _brim_ with people and places, and this ' _restaurant'_ idea confused her. The Tribe had to make use of every last scrap of food they could scavenge and take, they didn't spice it up, sell it to each other, or turn it into some… _business;_ what Ruby described sounded like an lot of unnecessary steps to keep the whole well fed and prosperous.

… But New Vale was enormous, what did it know that she didn't?

"Yang?" Blake spoke up, and the blonde looked her way curiously.

"'Sup?" Yang asked.

"Those Faunus in chains, what the hell were they trying to do?" Blake asked, glancing at the roll of paper Yang had stuffed into the satchel she carried over her shoulder.

"Political stuff." Yang shrugged, making Blake's face scrunch in frustration.

"I think they were just trying to get people to vote." Ruby offered, and Yang nodded.

"In, like, three weeks or something there's a big vote for who becomes Mayor of New Vale; they also get the title of City Master at Beacon." Yang began, sipping her drink to wet her tongue before she continued. "It's always this big to-do every couple of years, and you get people doing all sorts of big displays for it."

"What is a ' _mayor?'"_ Blake asked, and Yang opened her mouth, thought for a moment, then continued.

"Like a chieftain, but they're elected by the citizens, and their position goes up for reelection every few years. They can rerun as much as they want, but if they get ousted, they go back to being a citizen, though they usually get some job in the government, and some try and get reelected."

"That's… weird." Blake scrunched her eyebrows. Why not just call them ' _chieftain'_ then? Not that Chieftain Sienna had to deal with an election or what-have-you every _few years,_ but she did often face naysayers and dissenters from those who thought they could lead better.

… Then again, those usually ended in either battle or exile, not the losing party reacclimating to subservience.

"New Vale is weird." She sighed.

She heard no arguments from either of them, only getting small smiles. This just annoyed her further, but it also made her smirk. Strange as this city was, its weirdness was clearly a _good_ thing; she wondered how much bigger or better the city would have been built over the bones of slave labor, and how much different the attitude would have been…

"What was the Tribe like?" Yang asked suddenly, bringing Blake back to her senses and causing her to recoil internally. This question again? She'd avoided it before with sheer silence, but looking between the two, staring at her so curiously, she did not feel they were trying to force any secrets out of her. If anything, their curiosity was rather pleasantly endearing.

Blake leaned back in her wheelchair and set her mug aside, giving the two girls a moment proper evaluation as her fingers laced over her belly. "Every day with the tribe was like trying to constantly mend a roof that kept tearing holes open into itself." The words just sort of tumbled out of her mouth, and she sighed… so she was really doing this. "We were constantly on the search for food and materials, I had to go hunting for herbs and other medicines every day that I could. If we weren't trying to prop ourselves up, people would fall lower and lower. My mother healed wounds, trained our fighters, and would personally see to the defenses of Old Vale; she'd participate in raids, too, especially ones to free Faunus. But, she's the chieftain, she could never go _too_ far."

"People rely on her that much?" Yang asked, Ruby leaning in to listen as Blake smirked.

"Yes. Sienna Khan is a woman of unending confidence and drive, never showing weakness and always insisting that we can do better, we _deserve_ better. She was never short on plans and ideas. She honored every sacrifice, knew every person's name, and even helped raise the children. It seemed like she was everywhere at once, doing everything…" Blake's lips pursed, and she laid back with an expression of uncertainty, her fingers drumming the tabletop with a low sigh. "I was the only one who saw why; she stayed busy to try and forget what happened to her, and keep her own spirits up."

"So she was always patching her own roof, too." Ruby offered, and Blake nodded at her understanding with a small, sad smile.

"Yeah. And now she thinks I'm dead." Blake said softly. Ruby and Yang both winced at that, looking to each other to hold a silent, sisterly conversation conveyed strictly through twitches of their cheeks and blinks of their eyes. Ruby nodded, but Yang shook her head, and Blake quietly wondered what they were up to.

Whatever it was, the conversation was put on hold as two women in aprons and head wraps approached the table with broad smiles, an enormous plate as wide a wagon wheel held between them. Blake was shaken from her depression as the large plate was set between the three girls, Ruby and Yang looking thrilled as they rubbed their hands and smacked their lips, and Blake staring at the spread.

Lobster tails covered in what smelled like butter glimmered in the sunlight, a pile of equally greasy shrimp coated in flecks of some sort of herb sat nearby, while crab legs dominated the third quarter of the plate. The last quarter made Blake blink rapidly; a number of different cuts of different fish were speared on wooden skewers, with cuts of lettuce underneath each slice, and a paste mashed between them. And, in the very middle of it all was a bowl full of shaved ice with clams resting on top, surrounded by a ring of sauces and lemon wedges.

Blake felt her heartbeat slow, her jaw drop, and her stomach open up to gurgle in demand to be _fed_ as she stared. What sort of meal was _this?!_ This could have fed ten, maybe twenty members of the tribe! This was for the three of them alone?! Why did it smell so good?! How was it prepared this quickly, what were these fish skewers, why were Ruby and Yang _staring_ at her?

"C'mon, Blake!" Ruby picked up a lobster tail and held it out to her, making her flinch away from a piece of food that, on an ordinary day, would have looked satisfying. _This…_ this made her stomach _roar._ "Give it a try!"

Blake hesitated at first, but took the lobster tail. She dug the meat out with her finger, sniffing it curiously, wondering how humans made this much butter to justify pouring it all over a single meal. She used to enjoy a thin pad on toast every day when they stole it from a settlement; this meat was practically soaked in the stuff!

She opened her mouth, and after deliberating for a few seconds, popped the meat in, and began to chew.

After a good, ten seconds of chewing followed by a loud swallow, Ruby and Yang leaned in to hear what she thought… and reared as Blake descended on the plate, grabbing tails, claws, shrimp, and skewers to shovel into her mouth with a look of wide-eyed desperation, only pausing to chug some apple juice before she grabbed whatever was closest.

"You'll get sick!" Ruby insisted in a panic, and let out a shriek when, with little warning, Yang started grabbing food with the same ferocity as Blake, beaming at even the _whiff_ of a competition, and Ruby quickly raced to do the same so she wasn't left with just scraps and the runts of the plate!

The explosive tastes of spices and butter, alongside the thick, fatty meat of the well-grown seafood was so far displaced from Blake's usual meals that she felt completely out of control. The tastes and sensations of _good food_ were impossible to ignore, she had _never_ felt her tongue light up like this before!

She didn't know that food could _taste_ this good. She was used to meat grilled without all the added flavors, tough, flavorless vegetables, with only sweet fruits providing an exceptional _zing_ to her diet. This, _all_ of this…

… was making her stomach hurt.

She had to slow down despite her tongue's demand that she eat more, and she rubbed her gurgling gut as it suddenly contracted, as if it was confused by the overwhelming savoriness of the meal. Her stomach felt full, but she still wanted _more…_ she was feeling conflicted, and she shakily grabbed a crab leg.

The taste was incredible, but the feeling of it hitting her gut made her groan. Half the plate was already eaten by the ravenous teens, but there was still so much left, and she wanted _more…_ she whimpered as she reached out, but her grip was caught by Ruby's greasy hand.

"I think you had enough, Blake…" Ruby warned, trying to not grin too much at the girl's hunger.

" _Noooooooo…"_ Blake whined, staring at the food longingly, even as her stomach clenched painfully. "It's so good…"

"Yeah it is, butcha don't wanna get _sick."_ Yang pointed out, smirking more openly than her sister.

It was a war of desire versus necessity within the Faunus, who silently stared at the mountain of food with a desire she felt ashamed of. What did the humans do to have so much food available to them? To feed just three people this _mountain_ of seafood, butter, and spices? How much leisure time did they have to _experiment_ with food rather than just _eat it?_

She felt a moment of anger towards the humans of New Vale, or more like a flash of envy…

Not even a month ago she had been sitting on a three-legged stool in one of the dilapidated underground passages the Tribe used to hide from the monsters above ground, using a knife to carve the rot out of a frail old melon so she could feed the still edible pieces to a young girl with mouse ears that flinched at the sound of clapping or laughter.

She bitterly recalled the number of times she had gone to bed hungry, how often she sacrificed food off of her own plate to feed someone else, and here she was, having gorged herself on food that filled her, and also tasted _good._ The two humans she regarded with some affection and trust were more than likely ignorant to the constant suffering of hunger and thirst…

But she could not be angry at them. New Vale did not steal from Old Vale, the distance between them was too great for major territorial disputes over resources, and these girls… they were born and raised in prosperity, a prosperity that did not take advantage of the Faunus.

Even still, the richness of the food had nearly sickened Blake in her frenzy to indulge. She blinked slowly at Ruby and Yang, relaxing her body in the chair that supported her despite her wounds. The technology and food here, along with the feeling of security… New Vale was greater than the stories had ever implied.

The plate was clear of food, only drippings and stray herbs left behind, which Ruby mopped up with a fluffy piece of bread to snack on. Yang sat back, hands over her content belly as Ruby continued to stuff herself with bread that, to Blake's shock, was apparently _free._

The appetites of hunters were infamous for a reason, she supposed, but it was something else to see it in _person._ Yang went inside after the plate was cleared off the table, and Ruby was wheeling Blake away from the table, returning the chair she had moved.

"There's _so_ much more of the city we gotta show you!" Ruby said promisingly.

Blake didn't know how much she'd be able to retain in a single day, a single meal left her contemplating the sorry state of her tribe and wondering what more there could possibly be in this city.

"Like what?" Blake asked cautiously, and Ruby's grin grew.

" _Weeeeellll,_ I wanna show you the docks, and the market square, and the town hall, and the community building, and the—"

"Farms?" Blake inquired, making Ruby stop mid-gush to consider it.

"They're a little far." Ruby pointed out, but Blake shrugged her shoulders, gesturing to her current ride.

"I'm not feeling tired." She pointed out, and Ruby gave a tiny ' _ooooh'_ at that.

Yang emerged from the building again, stretching her bare arms above her head while lazily making her way over, looking thoroughly satisfied by their enormous meal as she stopped before them. "So where to next? We could go check out the monster pens~!" Yang sang promisingly, but Blake piped up.

"Actually, there's somewhere else I'd like to see." She smiled, and Yang, curiously, tilted her head.

* * *

The hour walk through New Vale gave Blake the chance to see more of the city, though much of it was visually similar. There were certain landmarks that stood out, of course, one of the most head-turning being the New Valean market square.

It was a seeming maze of booths and stalls in which dozens of mongers of different goods bargained, haggled, argued, and upsold their goods with a certain, thunderous pomp that Blake usually associated with the Tribe's upper echelons when they were giving speeches to rally the Faunus.

Huge, square-shaped tarps hung overhead, strung between buildings or tall poles to provide shade for the shoppers and merchants alike, and despite the chaos of the massive crowd, there was order to where was what. They passed through a home furnishings section, then walked past booths selling foods, both cooked and raw, and past that they were assailed by people trying to sell tools and weapons.

Blake watched in idle wonder as Ruby's voice parted crowds on a number of occasions, and despite being a teen girl that was easily a head shorter than the average adult, people were quick to scurry out of her way. They did not seem to fear her, and a good number even had looks of recognition, some respect, others worry as she lead the way. Then again, the Tribe had similar reactions to Blake whenever she was in a rush, though she didn't have to be quite as loud to get through.

… She also wasn't nearly as self-important, as Blake at least tried to convey some apology to the people that hurried to let them pass by, but Ruby simply marched with her shoulders squared, and chest puffed up.

Past the market, Yang explained the different sections they passed through; according to her, very little of the inner city was planned out, and for the most part, businesses that complimented each other simply congregated in the same area. Beyond that, where the buildings thinned and there was more room for crowds to walk, was where the mills and material shapers were.

Blake stared at an enormous lumber building that sent long planks and wooden boards out on carriages drawn by small Aptonoths or strong men, then at a building that carved stone. She noted only a handful of small buildings that specialized in metal, which Ruby explained was because most of their fine metals were imported from the Schnee Mining Conglomerate in Vacuo.

She'd heard very little of the SMC of Vacuo, but what she did know was that their masterwork with metals made them a formidable force, nearly on par with the Beacon-trained hunters. One of the Faunus described having lived on the outskirts of the SMC city before being captured and dragged to northern Vale, and that when monsters threatened its borders, the humans rained fire and lightning upon them in a rolling cacophony of heart-pounding death that scarred the earth around them.

Blake assumed it to be an exaggeration, but having seen New Vale now…

"Oh, Ruby!" Yang suddenly piped up, and their walk slowed as the younger sister glanced back in curiosity. "Can we take a quick detour?" Yang jerked her thumb towards the docks, and Ruby looked skeptical at first, before she and Blake both turned to stare at the huge, wooden vessel ship approaching the pier.

"Mind if we go see, Blake?" Ruby asked, looking on curiously as Blake watched the ship slowly drift its way to dock, the sailors on board shouting down to the partially dressed dockworkers down below. Blake hesitated; on one hand, she really _did_ want to go see their farms, but she was marginally curious as to what they wanted to detour for. She granted them a silent nod, and her chair was turned so they could roll out into the open, salty air, maneuvering around thick ropes stretched across the pier.

Blake was parked next to a pile of wooden crates, Yang hopped up to stand on top of the boxes, and Ruby stuck by Blake's side, both humans watching with interest.

The Khan Tribe used a handful of very rudimentary boats created by a man they had rescued. They were usually two-person canoes used to navigate the rivers of northern Vale, but they had at least one patchy sailing boat that they sometimes set out to sea in the hopes of catching saltwater fish. In comparison, the mighty cargo ship in front of her was practically a waterborne building, whose shadow cooled the unloading dock.

It was rather awe-inspiring, the sort of thing Blake only saw in old pictures that, until this moment, had seemed like nothing more than fairy tales...

"What are we watching for?" Blake asked, not unappreciative of the sight, but Yang seemed most insistent. Ruby leaned down to offer a whisper.

"We're almost at the end of spring, and that's when Menagerie finishes fermenting Loqua." She murmured, and Blake's ears twitched towards the boat to watch as several ramps were extended from the ship's deck to the pier below, and men walked up to help move crates and barrels.

"Loqua?" Blake inquired, then interrupted before Ruby got a chance to answer. "Wait, Menagerie… the Faunus island?" She glanced up to Ruby, who nodded her head. "I'd heard of it, but it sounded like a legend…"

" _Long_ before Sir Ozpin became Hunt Master, Hunt Master Adele declared an official, permanent _end_ to Faunus slavery." Ruby explained, making Blake nod as she believed it more and more. "New Vale and every town associated with it were to free their slaves and integrate them into society; it was super rough, but he reached out to Menagerie for an alliance at the same time."

"Menagerie was isolated from everything and everyone; the island's far, _far_ away from anything else, and, like, most of it's desert, so very few monsters live there." Yang added, the two easily switching back and forth in their exposition. "Not to mention the sea-monsters are mainly interested in the Grimm, fish, and each other, so Menagerie was actually kind of this paradise for the Faunus."

"And they weren't sure about it at first, but since they can only live on and farm a _teeny_ portion of the island, Chieftain Wukong agreed to try and work something out."

"Once they found a route through the water that didn't bother any of the monsters, they had this big meeting and eventually agreed to work together for the better of both New Vale and Menagerie. Menagerie Faunus came to New Vale so people would get used to them, and help educate former servants and the like."

"They loaned us workers and supplies, we sent them food by the boatload, and over time, we and Menagerie ended up _tight._ Like, there are humans living in Menagerie, and Faunus living in New Vale, and we actually manage to coexist."

"And," Yang began to grin, "Loqua is a Menagerie-special alcohol made from berries that only grows on their island, and it is fucking _nice."_

" _It's so good!"_ Ruby's squeak turned into a hiccup of excitement as they closely watched the arriving barrels and boxes, and Blake's nostril twitched.

 _Booze._ Of course. They seemed as excited as the old Faunus got whenever they brought in some scavenged alcohol; it made them all act like idiots when they should have been focusing on their daily tasks and chores.

She rolled her eyes as the girls excitedly awaited any hint or indication of the liquor, and Blake watched with simple curiosity at the proceedings. Most of the sailors were Faunus, and most of the dockworkers were human, but she took note that, as the girls stated, they worked together with little friction. She noted one worker tugging a sailor's large, bushy ears, which got him a slug across the jaw, and the ensuing fight drew members of both species to stand in a circle, chant, cheer, and make bets.

It was a _truly_ inspiring sight of interspecies cooperation.

The fight, however, ended with a shout from somebody at the top of the ship, and Blake's attention was held in rapt attention by the figure. The woman's long, lizard-like tail emerged from the rear of her worn white robes, her torso covered in a freshly shined piece of metal armor. A deep blue hood was pulled over her head, and the upper-half of her face was covered by a bone-white half-mask with red markings around the eyes.

She walked down the boarding ramp with a longsword laying across her back, similar in proportion to Scout Master Glynda's. Her angered words were quick to settle the tension and the aggression before she scattered the men with a wave of her arms, and then she beckoned a crowd of people on the ships' deck.

Blake's eyes followed her gaze to a number of young men and women, each probably around her age, and all wearing shorter, less decorated white robes, a lighter blue cowl over their heads, and no half-mask, their curious eyes going from the woman leading them to New Vale frequently as they murmured softly. All but one of them appeared to be a Faunus, something Blake picked up on as the group moved out of the workers' way so the younger Faunus could form a half-circle in front of the masked elder.

The woman was giving instructions, her voice loud and sharp, but the specific words lost in the noise of the activity surrounding them. The youths answered as one whenever she made some sort of declarative statement, and the elder crossed one arm over her chest, the youths responding in kind.

"Who…?" Blake asked, somewhat mesmerized. The Tribe used masks as well, but the woman's mask was small and more decorative than obscuring. The clothing was also uniform, but they used white instead of black…

"White Fang." Ruby answered, causing Blake to look on in silent wonder. "They're the monster hunters from Menagerie."

"Wait, if they don't have a monster problem in Menagerie, why do they have warriors…?" Blake asked, and Yang giggled.

"'Cuz being a hunter's all prestigious, and it's a job that's _always_ hiring; these ones are probably here to learn at Beacon!" Yang hopped off the crate she'd been perched on, stretching her arms with a big grin on her face as she head for the group of Faunus, and despite Blake's worries, she gave a tiny squeak as she was pushed to follow the blonde by Ruby.

The orating leader of the little crowd of Fangs paused in her speech to, presumably, focus her attention on the approaching, brightly smiling blonde, and the surrounding students turned to follow her curious expression.

"Hey pups and kits, welcome to New Vale!" Yang greeted them with a hearty tone, standing before them with her hands on her hips, many of them looking surprised and confused, some of them openly eyeing the blonde's figure, others looking past her as Ruby pulled up with Blake. "I'm Yang! This is my sister Ruby, we're both cadets at Beacon!"

" _Hiiiiii_ everyone!" Ruby hopped forward, looking friendly as could be. "Are y'all gonna be learning here too?!" Ruby asked with a grin, and there was a collection of small nods before the woman leading them stepped through the half-circle with her lips tightened sternly.

"Ruby and Yang Xiao Long, the Hunt Master's girls?" She asked, and at the humans' nods, the Faunus crowd broke out into small gasps of recognition and excited whispering. Blake's large ears easily caught their curious words, their wonderment at meeting the girls, the rumors they heard, their appreciation of the girls' figures… "I was unaware you would be greeting us, did Sir Ozpin send you ahead of himself?"

"Nope!" Ruby responded peppily. "We're just here to see if the ship's bringing any Loqua~!" Her shameless grin made the woman hesitate to respond, but she didn't have to.

"It's at, like, the bottom of the hold." One of the Fang youths answered.

" _Quiet_ Sun." The woman sighed, and the blonde boy looked sheepish, his long monkey tail wriggling in obvious interest as he stared at the girls that greeted them. "On behalf of Menagerie, thank you for greeting us, Ruby, Yang, and…?" Her face turned towards Blake, who had gone almost unnoticed until that moment.

She sat up in her wheelchair sharply, hands squeezed together on her lap, and she offered a small bow of her head. "Blake Khan. Erm, welcome to New Vale." She greeted awkwardly, not sure what else she was supposed to do as the Faunus all stared at her leg in curiosity.

"Blake _Khan?"_ The woman asked. Blake went pale in the face, her eyes moving down towards her wrapped leg, her refusal to answer making the woman's lips purse. "... Very well. My students are indeed here to further their training at Beacon, an exciting prospect, as these are the best up-and-comers Menagerie has to offer." She even granted them a small smile, and the Fang kids each puffed themselves up in their own way.

"The best, huh?" Yang's smile turned a shade feral that made some of the Fang hesitate in their posturing, while Ruby bounced in place!

"I can't wait to hunt alongside you!" Her much more sunny smile was, somehow, far more intimidating, and all but two of them looked confused at her buoyancy: the monkey boy, Sun, who matched her smile, even as he stared at Yang, and the girl that Blake had assumed was a human until her large, brown birthmarks turned a hot shade of pink as she stared at the three lovely young ladies.

"And when you do," a new voice made the sisters' spines straighten, and caused the White Fang elder to enter a low, gracious bow, "I hope you withhold some of your _usual_ enthusiasm."

The sisters stood aside to watch with looks of genuine admiration as a man hobbled his way over slowly, leaning heavily on a cane. The rest of the White Fang troops bowed low to the man, and Blake was immediately unsure of what to make of him.

He was tall and willowy, with messy silvery hair and a pair of tiny reading spectacles on his nose. He was finely dressed for a man on the docks, wearing a pair of light, olive-colored robes and a bright green scarf around his neck. The hand not occupied with a cane had three fingers missing; instead, replaced by some sort of metal and wood composite gauntlet that extended down to his elbow, his ring and pinky fingers hanging free of the contraption. Judging by how he walked, neither of his legs were in great working condition either, and Blake had to wonder how this man could stand to be so far from anywhere comfortable... not that she had much room to criticize, considering how much her nursed pressed upon her to stay in bed. Despite his apparent age and injury, he looked surprisingly young, with a face free of wrinkles, and he did not hunch over from age.

By his side was a young lady that was in their age range, whose curious green eyes, bright red hair, and big pink bow stood in contrast with the robes she wore, similar in color to the older man's. She was also _covered_ in freckles; every visible patch of skin, from her brow to her fingertips, had a scatternut spread of little brown freckles, almost to the point of looking like some form of skin condition, but it clearly didn't bother her.

The bow-haired girl's head turned until she saw Ruby, and both of them gave the other an excited look before the new man approached the bowing Faunus and waved his free hand dismissively.

"Now now, I'll have none of that from our honored guests; come now Mathilda, this is entirely unnecessary." The man insisted, and the lizard-tailed woman stood up straight and powerful, her smile as easy as could be as she offered the man her arm, and he accepted it so he could lean on her as he stood before the Fang youths.

"You'll forgive my awe, Sir Ozpin, it's an honor to finally meet you in person. Students, stand straight!" She ordered, and the unmasked teens stood up and squared their shoulders before their teacher and Sir Ozpin, whom Blake stared at in much more naked curiosity. They had described his injuries before, but Blake was surprised at how poor his mobility was, and yet he _still_ commanded so much respect.

"Ahem." Sir Ozpin cleared his throat, taking the floor, passing dockworkers and Faunus sailors each craning their heads to look at him as they tried to work. "Welcome to New Vale; Beacon will always be happy to host the White Fang, whether they are the best of the best, or those most in need of training. I am Oleander Ozpin, Lore Master of Beacon; my fellow scholars and I will be working with you to ensure that, no matter what beasts you meet in the field, you will not only be able to name it, but determine its mood, health, and abnormalities in behavior by yourself."

"Which is important!" The red-headed girl by his side stated with a raised finger. "Even the smallest of changes in a monster's base behaviors could indicate vast environmental repercussions!"

"Indeed; why not introduce yourself?" Ozpin offered the girl, who paused, frozen in place, and then squeaked.

" _My name is Penny Polendina and-it-is-nice-to-meet-you!"_ She answered and bowed so quickly that her voice almost devolved into a confusing yelp.

"Penny here is my assistant, and may one day very well have my position as Lore Master; if any of you have questions regarding monsters, there are few more knowledgeable of them than Penny here." Ozpin stated, patting the girl's back until she stood up straight, tapping her fingers together and refusing to meet anybody's eyes as her whole body turned red.

"Um, a-and if you have questions, p-please submit them in the form of a l-letter to my desk with your n-name, a-address, and your question a-and I will try to respond p-post-haste! _Please-don't-swarm-me."_ She sounded so nervous about the prospect that Blake couldn't help but offer a small, pitying chuckle, the Fang cadets offering wry, confused, or understanding smiles.

With little warning, Ruby exploded into a cloud of rose petals that made Blake and the watching Faunus nearly jump in surprise, the young huntress appearing by Penny's side with a big smile and a wave. "I can also try and answer questions! C'mon, Penny!"

"My hero!" Penny sounded genuinely grateful before another poof of rose petals marked their exit, and both girls now stood back with Blake and Yang, the latter of whom nudged Penny's ribs with a teasing expression that left the awkward girl pouting and slapping her elbow.

Sir Ozpin stood before the White Fang cadets and spoke long and luxuriously of New Vale and the trials they would face; Menagerie saw few monsters, so the youths were basically expected to stay in New Vale and help defend it. He pressed upon them the importance of their duties, the dangers of their foes, and the honors that would be bestowed upon them for their service.

At least, that's what Blake caught wind of as Ruby and Penny spoke a million miles per hour by her side.

"— _bigger than Big J! We brought a few of his hairs with us so we could measure them!"_

"How so very exciting! Goodness, if only I could have seen it! Tell me more about the Nargacuga and the Arzuros?!"

"Okay, well, first of all, _I_ did all that work—"

"Oh _bullshit!"_ Yang interrupted heatedly, "We both know you could'na done your ' _blender-from-hell'_ schtick if I wasn't there softening them up!"

"I'm _so_ sorry Penny, I didn't expect the pier to be so noisy!"

"Ruby, I'm gonna hit you _so_ hard…"

"Wait, do you hear that?"

"Hear what, Ruby?" Penny inquired.

"It almost sounds like somebody just farting non-stop, like, _pbbbbbbbb—ow! Bitch!"_

"C'mere you little _rat!"_

Penny didn't so much as blink as the two sisters fell to the ground swinging fists and growling, and Sir Ozpin's conversation lulled as the young Fang stared around him as the Aura-infused tussle happening behind him, sailors and workers forming a distant circle to call out encouragement to the fight.

Blake sighed, trying to ignore the childish combat happening in front of her, and Penny helpfully pulled her wheelchair away as the two girls rolled closer.

The wounded Faunus blinked slowly and tried to act like she didn't know the two girls, and found a distraction in Penny leaning over by her side with a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you!" Penny whispered. "I'm Penny."

"Blake." Blake answered in kind, offering a half-baked smile as the girl beamed. "You're the Lore Master's assistant?"

"Mhmm! It is an oh-so fortuitous position; I have a great interest in the monsters, but my talent in combating them is, according to my former mentor, ' _hampered by an almost intimate fascination with the beasts.'"_

"... So you're a monster lover, too." Blake figured, and Penny nodded.

"Absolutely! They are some of the most incredible creatures!"

"Gonna go out on a limb and guess you're friends with Ruby?" Blake's smile grew a bit more, and Penny paused in answering to give her a curious look.

"We are the _best_ of friends; how did you guess?"

"She loves monsters, too." Blake answered in a chuckle, and Penny nodded at that fact.

They both glanced up at the pound of swift ' _thunks!',_ and Ruby and Yang had split apart, holding the tops of their heads with low, pained groans as the Lore Master stood before them, his cane tapping the ground almost threateningly.

"Now girls, your familial tomfoolery may be amusing in good company, but we're hosting guests." He jerked his thumb back towards the snickering Faunus, and the sisters looked neither sheepish nor sorry for their foolishness.

"Sorry Uncle Ozpin." Both chimed in tones full of dishonesty, and the man regarded them both in silence for a few moments as they stroked their bruised scalps, and he quietly shook his head.

"Tell you what: as punishment, you two will give our guests a tour of New Vale." He said with a small, victorious smile as their expressions drooped. "They are your future classmates after all; I leave it to you two to build trust and confidence with your peers, and to ensure they have their bearing here in town."

"B-but we're already on a tour!" Ruby pointed dramatically to Blake, who did not _deny_ the fact, but found an odd and deep fascination with a distant seagull.

"Yeah, and, err…" Yang fumbled for a bit. "We have to complete our mission reports anyways, so, y'know, there's no time for—"

"Actually, that makes it the _perfect_ time." Sir Ozpin's smile grew more sly, and both girls went rigid as sweat formed on their brows. "You'll be able to give our honored guests and tour, and once finished, return to the hunting offices and submit your reports!"

" _Buh…"_ Yang wheezed, trying to not meet Ruby's sudden, accusing glare.

Sir Ozpin clasped his hands, and an emerald green Aura encased his body. His cane stood up straight on the floor as he walked away from it, hands clasped, moving with a sense of normalcy compared to his odd hobble from before. Blake blinked; so the man _didn't_ need much assistance… either his Aura was more limited than the average hunter, or he liked playing the part of the hobbled old man. "You two carry the distinct honor of being two of our greatest students at Beacon, as well as the distinguishment of being the Hunt Master's daughters. Great expectations are placed on the both of you to carry New Vale's ideals on your shoulders, and one of our first and most important sayings is—"

As one, the two sisters and Lore Master spoke together, in two very different tones of voice: "'— _the hunt is not over until it's been placed in the proper file.'"_ Both girls sagged, while the Lore Master looked pleased as punch. "I'm so glad that you two understand."

"Yes Uncle Ozpin…" They both mumbled.

Ruby went over to Blake with an apologetic smile, and the Faunus hid a laugh at her misery. "We'll get to the farms eventually, it's always on the tour! But, you'll get to see a little more of the city first, at least!"

"Quite the bold assumption, Ruby." Ozpin interrupted, drawing her pleading look for him to not pour on _more_ duties for her. The Lore Master drew closer, and politely met Blake's eyes with a friendly smile.

The silence between them drowned out the noise from the rest of the docks. He wasn't glaring, or looking disappointed in any capacity, but when his eyes locked onto hers, he didn't say any word of greeting, or ask any questions. His friendly expression masked the subtle way his eyes sharpened, and all at once, Blake realized he was reading her.

He knew; of course he knew, _he_ was the _Lore Master,_ he probably knew everything the Scout Master could have told him, and he was going to be _judging_ her in due time. She wasn't a White Fang cadet, she was a Tribesman, a possible threat to his city and people.

Sir Ozpin's eyes had a pitiless depth to them, as if he was able to read her thoughts through her pupils, and she felt a sudden itch on the inside of her skull. She knew she was more than likely just being overly imaginative, but she still felt frozen in place, frightened that he may have actually been in her head...

Up until, at least, his eyes closed, and he presented her with his unmangled hand.

"And you must be Blake Khan; I'm fairly certain you were supposed to be in the hospital." He glanced back at Ruby and Yang, who began to visibly sweat, their smiles growing large and unconvincingly innocent.

"Y-yes sir." She answered, unable to draw up the courage to lie. She had been in the sights of a hunter, a former _Hunt Master…_

"Well, no matter. I'm certain you have half of Beacon running themselves ragged looking for you; I was meant to offer our friends from Menagerie the tour of Vale, except that I have a meeting of extraordinary importance that came up with the other Masters of Beacon." His eye sharpened the slightest bit as he looked down at Blake. "I'm sure you know what that means."

Blake swallowed thickly, looking guiltier than Ruby or Yang did about the predicament, and the Lore Master set a hand on her head.

"Since Ruby and Yang will be taking the White Fang on a tour, why don't Penny and I escort you back up to Beacon?" Ozpin offered, by the look he gave her implied she didn't really have a choice in the matter. She grunted in affirmation, and felt her chair shift as Penny took her wheelchair from behind.

"Can…" Blake felt herself speaking, despite the guilt and fright gnawing at her. "Can I go with them?" She asked the Lore Master, forcing herself to meet his eye with a few quivering blinks.

Sir Ozpin seemed to hesitate in answering her as he stared, as if surprised by the audacity to ask his approval in avoiding her own evaluation, but to his credit, he didn't outright deny her. Instead, he asked the most simple question of all: "Why?"

"I've never seen New Vale before, or… or any city like this." She gestured to the docks that stretched seemingly forever along the coast, then to the vast cluster of buildings that sprawled behind them. "Old Vale wasn't full of people, it wasn't _safe,_ we couldn't explore everything, or make farms, and _res-tau-rants,_ and that sorta thing." She tapped her fingertips together innocently, and the man gave a small frown. "Can the meeting be postponed? Like, for just a day so I can see the rest of the city?"

She got to see it from on high, and had plenty of time to take in such a curious sight, but up close was a completely different beast. It had made her uncomfortable, it had frightened her, it had fed her, it had awed her, but it had never made her feel _unsafe._ Even the display of Faunus opposing slavery lingered with her, but not badly… her people had the freedom and confidence to display themselves with such absurdity and boldness without being mocked, locked up, or treated as nothing more than tools and whores.

The city mystified her, it was like a dream come true, and she still expected to open her eyes and realize she was inches away from dying on some soggy bank, or in the hands of those gorilla Grimm, but she wanted to cling to this happier fantasy if that's all it was, if only because…

She looked over at Ruby and Yang, who watched her with small, worried frowns, and she felt her heart skip. Two strangers who had put their lives on the line, who had attempted to console and befriend her, who promised her freedom, health, and safety, and for all intents and purposes, _succeeded…_

"No." Sir Ozpin's answer was gentle, and Blake expected it, but her hopes crashed around her nonetheless, and with a groan, she lowered her head and frowned to herself. "I can understand, however." Ozpin's fingers dug into her scalp behind her ears, making her flinch, then sigh in comfort as he expertly had her ears flapping in comfort. "After long trips away from this place that I call home, I would return and find myself hardly able to comprehend it. You start to realized just how different our little city is from the rest of the world, how kind it is compared to the likes of the monsters and the Grimm."

He sighed, taking his fingers away, and kneeling down to meet her eye to eye. "But… you understand why we're be so protective of this place?" He asked, and after a few moments of hesitation, she nodded. "A master's greatest duty is keeping New Vale _safe;_ should we find you harmless to our society, you'll be able to see as much of the city as you like. However…" He bowed his head, his eyes sharpening in a way that made her flinch. "Should you threaten to bring ruin to my people, we will not be so kind. For you sake, miss Khan, I hope that you have not arrived here with no ill intentions; I would like that you and the rest of your Tribe be brought to reason _without_ force."

Blake nodded solemnly, and Ozpin looked up to Penny with a nod. Before Blake could be turned back towards Beacon and rolled away, a pair of hands took hers. Golden eyes met silver, and Ruby gave her a big, confident smile. "Break a leg!" She offered in a happy tone, then flinched as she realized what she'd said… "I-I mean, knock 'em dead…! No, that's even worse…"

"What in the world are you trying to tell me?" Blake asked with a blink of her eyes, and Ruby struggled to do anything more than blush and stammer.

"J-just, err… um…" She squeaked, and squeezed Blake's hands in obvious distress, then Yang rest a hand on her sister's shoulder and gave the chair-bound Faunus a little smile.

"She's _trying_ to say ' _good luck'_ and ' _let's hang out'_ once this is all over with, alright?" Yang supplied, and Ruby bobbed her head in agreement. "You're gonna be fine, gorgeous, so don't freak out."

" _Y-yeah!_ Our dad's the Hunt Master, so if they try to do mean things to you, we'll never talk to him again!"

"Yeah! We got your back." Yang grinned, and Blake couldn't help but return it hopefully. The two girls hung onto her for a moment longer, and then Yang dragged Ruby away towards the crowd of waiting White Fang.

"Alright pups and kits, let's get this tour started! Who wants to see the monster pens?!" Yang's voice thundered, and the crowd of Faunus immediately broke out into curious gasps and chattering, following after the sisters as they lead the way. Ruby threw Blake one last look, and then disappeared behind the group of White Fang.

It took Blake a while to realize that she wasn't moving, and that Sir Ozpin was giving her a curious stare. "Let's hope that you can leave as good of an impression on the council as you have on them, Blake." He said calmly, then nodded to Penny. "Let's move on; I can't move very quickly these days, so I'd like to be in my seat _before_ the evaluation starts."

"Yes sir!" Penny answered with a smile, and at a slow pace, Blake got to see the city all the way to Beacon once more.


End file.
